The stars and the silvereyed boy
by LittleReporterGirl
Summary: Naoshi Uchiha has recently escaped from the village hidden in the Mist and traveled to konohagakure in search of her cousin Sasuke...
1. the Silvereyed Boy

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the related characters. **

**Author's Note: I would appreciate a lot of good reviews. This is the first Naruto fanfic I've posted and the first one I ever wrote. It's the only one that's complete. If I get good reviews I may post some of my other ones. I've also got a good Harry Potter fanfic which any Snape fans will enjoy.**

It was growing dark and I let out an impatient sigh. I lay back on the tree branch and watched the stars that were appearing in the sky above me. I was trusting my Chakra wouldn't fail me this time as I lay on the branch. I was waiting for me cousin Sasuke and his friend/rival Naruto, who had agreed to meet me here at sundown. They were currently in Konohagakure, also known as The Village Hidden Among the Leaves. I was not with them due to the fact that I was now a missing-nin from Kirigakure and was being hunted by Hunter-nin. That is why I needed my cousin's help…my life was in danger.

I was startled by the sound of approaching footsteps and I fell from the tree with a loud thud that knocked the breath from me. My Chakra had failed me, yet again. When I regained my breath I opened my eyes and found myself staring into the silver eyes of a boy I had never met before.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice. I nodded numbly and he extended a hand to help me up. Cautious as ever I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. I brushed dirt from the front of my clothes and picked leaves out of my long black hair while looking around. My cousin Sasuke stood not far from me and his friend Naruto was at his side. On Naruto's other side stood a girl with pink hair.

"Sasuke I thought you were only bringing Naruto," I hissed at him. I didn't particularly mind the presence of the silver-eyed boy, but my life was in danger and the more people who knew about it the more danger I was in. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders with indifference and I frowned at him.

"We can trust them," Was all he said.

"Right," I said testily. There was an awkward silence in which I decided I would have to let it go for the moment.

"Fine. I need your help, cousin," I said after the silence had passed.

"Helping people is what we're here for," Said Naruto with a grin. I didn't return his smile.

"What is it you need, Hoshi?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"I…I may be in danger and I need somewhere safe to stay," I replied awkwardly. They all looked surprised at my sudden revelation.

"What? Why are you in danger? Who's after you?" Naruto demanded.

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning," Suggested the silver-eyed boy in a soothing voice. I took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.

"I left Kirigakure. They were being too harsh and the training they had for me was too intense. I couldn't control my Chakra, I still can't, and they wanted me to try and harness it through intense special training that left me completely drained of energy. I barely had enough strength to crawl into bed at night, much less eat. I asked the Mizukage if I could leave respectfully, but he would not allow it since I was still in training. So I left on my own accord and now there are Hunter-nin after me and I need a place to stay," I said quickly. A silence met my words and I stared intently at the ground, waiting to be chastised for being foolish, but nothing happened. I looked up to see them all frowning in thought.

"You could stay with us!" Naruto said gleefully.

"No. I have seen Hunter-nin here in the forest. They would most likely expect me to go into the city. I cannot take that risk," I replied quietly.

"Let 'em come! We'll kick their ninja-hunting buts!" He declared.

"Quiet Naruto. We're no match for Hunter-nin. …but I think I know a place," Said the silver-eyed boy.

"Where?" Sasuke and I asked simultaneously.

"There is a place in the forest. A house in the trees that no one uses and it is not easy to locate unless you already know where it is. I think you could stay there…at least until we come up with a better plan," He replied.

"That's a great idea, Neji," Naruto said with a smile.

"Thank you…Neji. Can you show me the way to this place?" I asked quietly.

"Of course. We can all go," Neji replied with a faint smile.

"Check around. Make sure no one is around to follow us," Sasuke said to Neji who nodded.

"_Byakugan," _Neji said. I recognized it as some sort of jutsu, though I didn't know what sort. It reminded me a bit of Sharingan, which I had only ever heard about, not seen. Neji's eyes were squinted for a moment and then went back to normal.

"There is no one around," He confirmed, "But I discovered something interesting."

"What did you just do? What sort of jutsu was that?" I asked curiously.

"Hijutsu. Byakugan is a bloodline trait among the Hyuuga clan. It allows me to see any danger around," Neji said to me.

"So it is like Sharingan?" I inquired, referring to the bloodline trait of the Uchiha clan that Sasuke and I belonged to.

"No, but my father once told me it derived from Byakugan," Sasuke put in.

"Sharingan allows you to see your opponents next attack. Also it has to be activated before you can use it. I have always been able to use my Byakugan and it also allows me to see the Chakra that flows through a person's body. Which brings me to my other point…your Chakra is leaking," He said awkwardly. I looked down at myself, alarmed, but I could see nothing.

"Don't worry. It's not enough to be noticeable, unless you are looking with Byakugan, but…I have never seen anything like it before. It just startled me is all," Neji said in a reassuring tone.

"That's probably why you got so tired during the training they made you do," Naruto remarked.

"We should hurry if we're going to this hidden house. It's getting late," Said the pink-haired girl.

"Sakura is right. We should go…though it won't take long to get there," Neji said to me. I nodded my head and retrieved the small bag I had brought with me from where it hung on the tree branch. I glanced up at the twinkling stars one more time before following the silver-eyed boy into the woods.

Though the journey was a short wall I seized the chance to talk further with Neji. Mostly we discussed the difference between Byakugan and Sharingan.

"One of the more prominent differences is the fact that Sharingan drains you Chakra energy at an alarming pace. It is the one weakness of the bloodline trait," Neji told me as we walked deeper into the forest.

"What about your Byakugan? Surely it has a weakness as well," I replied with a frown.

"It does," He admitted, "Byakugan does not allow me to see in a complete circle. Only 359 degrees."

"You have a blind spot."

"Yes, but I am working to perfect that. Training as much as I can," He said.

"How can I train to control my Chakra? To stop it from leaking out? I'm no longer enrolled in the training academy since I left Kirigakure," I wondered aloud.

"You should meditate," Neji said calmly. I made a face.

"Meditating is boring," I complained. He smiled slightly.

"We'll help you train. I'm a Jounin, after all, it is my job to train Lower Ninjas," He replied quietly. I blushed faintly, but it was dark, thankfully, and he couldn't see.

"Here's the house," Neji announced quickly. We all looked up to see a house nestled amongst the leaves of a particularly large oak tree.

"Wow. How do we get up there?" Sakura asked, looking up.

"Climb the tree, of course," Said Naruto as if this should have been obvious. Naruto grinned and, using his Chakra control, walked right up the side of the tree trunk. I felt only slightly jealous and a little depressed that I had not mastered that sort of Chakra control. I climbed up the tree using branches like any non-ninja person could. The entrance was located at the bottom of the house and opened up into the floor. Naruto went first, followed by Neji, Sasuke, Sakura, and myself.

I was slightly impressed with the accommodations. A table was in the very center of the room and on the table sat a candle. There were windows that served their purpose effectively, even if they were a little crudely made. There was a shelf that had a few bowls and cups stacked on it. There was also a mattress in one corner that served well as a bed.

"Aw man! There's no food here!" Naruto complained as he looked around.

"What did you expect, Naruto, _no one lives here_," Sakura said to him.

"We can bring you food tomorrow, cousin," Sasuke said to me.

"If Naruto doesn't eat it all first," Grumbled Sakura. I beamed at my new friends.

"Thank you. All of you. You've been good friends. I feel confident that the Hunter-nin can not find me here," I said to them. They all smiled and Sasuke looked away, embarrassed.

"We should go. Guy sensei will be suspicious and Rock Lee can't hold our cover for ever," Sakura said to them. They all nodded and said good-bye before leaving.

When they were gone I let out a sigh and tossed my bag onto the floor. I sat down on the bed with my head in my hands. Now that they were gone I didn't feel so safe anymore. It wasn't them in particular- It was Neji. Neji made me feel safe, though I would never have admitted it, and I wished he would have stayed with me.

It was still nighttime out so I went outside quietly and sat on a tree branch and stared at the stars. I wished that there were some way I could have lived amongst the stars. It seemed so peaceful up there, like nothing bad would ever happen, except the occasional falling of a star. As I gazed at the night sky I though of my past.

When I was young I lived with my Aunt and Uncle after the death of my parents. My Aunt and Uncle had sent me to Kirigakure to train to be a Ninja. They already had my eldest cousin, Itachi, and with Sasuke on the way they didn't have room for a girl with a faulty Chakra. So I went to Kirigakure. While I was there I had lived with my Great Aunt, Hiromi, and when she died mysteriously I stayed with my sensei, Shishi. Shishi always pushed me to the limit and beyond and he was not a very understanding person. I learned from a traveler that my cousin, Itachi, had wiped out the entire Uchiha clan and that only he and Sasuke remained. I also learned that Sasuke was training in Konohagakure. I thought that if I came here no one would be able to find me, but I was wrong. There were wanted posters bearing my name and picture. The village of Kirigakure wanted me dead; there was no disputing that.

The next morning when I awoke it was to a faint taping on the door in the floor.

"Who is it?" I asked, sitting up with a yawn.

"It is Neji, may I come in?" He asked quietly. I stretched the knots out of my back and looked around the room.

"Sure," I called to him. The door in the floor opened and I smiled at him. He smiled back at me.

"I brought you some food," He said, holding up a backpack. I waited eagerly as he pulled out a small pot and took off the lid. He set it on the table and we sat down. I peered into the pot and found it full of ramen.

"Smells good. Where is everyone else?" I asked casually.

"Back in the village, training," He replied.

We ate in a comfortable silence. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started eating. It had been a while since my last good meal and before long we had devoured all of the ramen. Neji smiled at me and I blushed faintly.

"Sorry I ate more than I should have. It's been a while since I've had a good meal," I said sheepishly. He nodded and put the pot back into the bag.

"I understand. Would you like to try meditating today?" Neji asked me, standing up.

"Huh?"

"To gain better control of your Chakra. I promised I would help you train, remember?"

"Oh. Sure."

Neji smiled at me again and lit the candle that sat in the center of the table. He sat back down, after stretching, and crossed his legs and closed his eyes. I imitated what he did and we were silent.

I got bored quickly and began to hum quietly under my breath. I didn't realize he could hear me until he opened one eye and looked at me.

"Hoshi…You're humming," He said patiently.

"Sorry…" I said on an exhale.

"Don't be. You're bored, I understand. You should try concentrating on something…the candle flame, for instance," He replied, nodding to the candle.

"I'll give it a try," I said faintly. I stared at the candle, watching the flame flicker back and forth. A few times I thought it would go out, but it didn't. The whole meditation thing wasn't working, but I didn't want to disappoint Neji so I forced my eyes shut and tried to clear my mind.

"This isn't working," He said suddenly. I jumped, slightly startled.

"What?" I asked, "I'm trying."

"You're trying _too _hard, Hoshi. You're creating a negative energy. Meditating is about relaxing, but you're on edge," He replied calmly. He wasn't angry with me.

"I don't like meditating, except when I'm looking at the stars…that's kind of like meditating," I mumbled, looking down.

"You're relaxed then?" Neji asked.

"Yeah."

"Then I shall return when the stars are out and we shall meditate then," He said, getting to his feet. At that moment there was another knock on the door. We exchanged startled glances.

"Who's there?" Neji asked, on guard.

"Its Naruto, let me in, I got big news!" He shouted back. Annoyed, Neji went to the door and snatched Naruto inside.

"Quiet, you idiot, don't be so loud," Neji hissed.

"Sorry, Neji. What is it? What's wrong?" Naruto asked. Neji had his eyes squinted, using his Byakugan.

"Someone is walking through the forest…but they pose no threat. It is no ninja and they are not very near to us," Neji said, relaxing slightly.

"What's your big news, Naruto?" I asked, turning to him.

"I got an idea," He said triumphantly.

"Can't wait to hear this one," Neji said sarcastically, but he smiled at his friend.

"C'mon, Neji, this is a good one!" Naruto retorted.

"All right, let's hear it," I said soothingly.

"Well I think we could get you into the village, using an alias of course," Naruto replied eagerly.

"It's a good plan. Other than the fact that her picture is plastered on every billboard in town and everyone will recognize her it's absolutely flawless," Neji said sardonically.

"You didn't let me finish! We'll disguise her. We can't use Genjutsu since the hunter-nin can probably see through our illusions, but if we change her hair and her clothes she'll look like a completely different person," Naruto said happily.

"That may actually work," Neji said, impressed.

"It's worth a try," I said with a shrug. Inwardly I was thinking I wasn't an easy person to disguise. My eyes, for instance, are a brilliant shade of purple and it's not like my hair could change colors or anything. I'd still look pretty much like me and hunter-nin weren't that stupid.

"We'll gather Sakura and Sasuke and return later, before dark," Neji said, opening the door as Naruto hurried down.

"Thank you," I said softly. Neji smiled slightly before following Naruto down. When they were gone I blew out the candle and sat down on the bed. Somehow the 'meditating' had left me drained and I wondered just how bad my Chakra was leaking. I had never heard of anyone's Chakra leaking before. I knew that many people had problems controlling the amount of Chakra used, but _leaking? _It was a little bit perturbing.

I lie down on the bed and closed my eyes. I figured I might as well get some rest if I was going to assume a new identity in a few hours.

My friends returned about an hour before sundown and again they came bearing food. Rice and Dumplings. While I ate they discussed what they would do to change my appearance.

"We could definitely cut her hair to make it shorter," Naruto remarked as they circled me.

"And I've brought her new clothes," Sasuke said and when we all shot him curious looks he added, "Sakura picked them out."

"What about her eyes? They're vivid purple… too conspicuous," Neji remarked.

"_My _eyes? What about _your _eyes? All bright and white!" I spluttered indignantly. The others laughed.

"I didn't mean it offensively, Hoshi. Also, my eyes aren't plastered on every poster in town," Neji replied with a faint smile.

"Well what do you suppose we do about it?" Sasuke asked him.

"I suppose she should keep her head down and let her hair cover her face. I don't really see what else we could do," He responded.

"What about her name? She needs and alias," Naruto piped up.

"Oh well that's an easy one- Hoshi isn't my real name," I said to him.

"It's not?" He asked blankly.

"Of course not, Naruto. Didn't you see the posters?" Neji asked him.

"Yes, the Hunter-nin are seeking one _Naoshi Uchiha. _Not Hoshi," Sasuke said casually.

"Good. So let's cut her hair and let her change clothes, then we can take her to the hokage," Naruto said.

"The hokage? Why?" Sakura asked him.

"We could say that we found her in the forest and Hoshi could pretend to have amnesia about where she came from," Naruto replied.

"That's brilliant…but if anyone ever found out you'd all be in huge trouble," I said uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it, Hoshi," Sasuke said confidently, "No one will find out."

About an hour later I looked like a completely different person. I wore black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt that Sasuke had bought me. My hair had been cut to shoulder length and it had become a little bit straighter in the process. The sun was already gone from the sky when I climbed down out of the tree house wearing my new clothes.

"You look wonderful, Hoshi. I think we should wait until tomorrow to take you to the village, though," Sasuke said to me.

"Fine by me," I said with a shrug. Neji caught my eye and smiled at me.

"We were going to try meditating again anyway," Neji said to the others.

"I think I'll head back to Konohagakure, I'm starving!" Naruto said brightly. The others all nodded in agreement and promised to come back first thing tomorrow morning. Then they left, leaving Neji and I alone again.

"Come. I know a place where we can lay back and look at the stars," Neji said to me. I nodded and followed him into the woods.

Neji led me to a hill where there were no trees and the view of the sky was wonderful. The grass was soft and I lay down on my back to stare at the stars. Neji lie down as well and looked up. I let out a content sigh and relaxed.

"I think if we can find you a ninja headband the Hokage may let you train with me," Neji said to me as we lay there.

"A headband?" I asked, puzzled.

"So they won't make you go back to the academy. I don't think you belong there, anyway. You just need to control your Chakra. If they had noticed it was leaking they may have been able to fix it ages ago," He replied tightly.

"Oh. Where will you get a ninja headband?"

"I have an extra one. I can remove the insigma and perhaps everyone will think you lost yours," Was his answer. We were silent after that, watching the stars twinkling across the sky. I felt peaceful. It wasn't the exact same thing as meditating, but I think it served the same purpose.

After about a half-hour of stargazing I sat up, bored again. Neji sat up as well.

"Sorry, I got bored again," I said sheepishly.

"Well at least it was more effective than meditating. You should try to use your Chakra now. Can you do any attacks?" He asked, standing up and stretching.

"Well I wouldn't be an Uchiha if I hadn't mastered the grand fireball," I replied haughtily.

"Then let's see it," He replied lightly. I turned nervously away from him and brought my hands together.

"Fire Element; Grand Fireball," I said loudly. I inhaled deeply and willed a small amount of Chakra to gather there as well. Then I exhaled. Even though I'd done it a million times before, it still startled me when a large fireball emerged from my mouth and shot forward. It extinguished before hitting anything because I'd been careful about how much Chakra I used.

"Very good, Hoshi," Neji remarked, clapping his hands quietly. I blushed and smiled.

"It was good wasn't it? And I didn't even use very much Chakra," I said, delighted with my self.

"I have a question. Have you ever used Sharingan?" Neji inquired.

"No. I keep waiting for it to awaken, but…"

"Don't worry. I'm sure it will soon. When it does you'll be able to copy almost any attack, except bloodline traits like Byakugan," He replied reassuringly.

"Perhaps Sasuke will help me develop it," I mused.

"Or Kakashi Hatake," Neji added.

"Isn't that Sasuke and Naruto's sensei?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Yes. Also Sakura's sensei. He has one Sharingan eye," He replied.

"How? He's not an Uchiha is he? I thought Sasuke and myself were the only ones left, besides Itachi," I said, alarmed.

"You are the only Uchiha left," Neji said soothingly, "Kakashi Hatake was given his Sharingan eye by his closest friend before he died."

I was still alarmed by this fact and Neji could sense my unease.

"Come, show me what other attacks you know," He encouraged, changing the subject. I grinned suddenly.

"Stand still and I will show you what the Kirigakure taught me," I said mischievously. It was Neji's turn to be slightly anxious as I gathered my Chakra in my left hand.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu," I said. A sphere of water gathered around Neji, not harming him, but making escape virtually impossible.

"Try to get out of it," I encouraged him. From inside the water prison I head Neji laugh.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation," I heard him say and I was shocked when I felt my Chakra weaken and since the sphere of water was part Chakra it weakened as well and Neji burst forth. Exhausted I released the water and collapsed onto the ground. Neji was at my side in a moment.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worried.

"Fine," I replied, panting slightly, "Just need a moment to recover my strength."

"You did very good. You would make a worthy opponent for most any ninja, with a little training," He complimented me. I nodded my thanks, unable to speak anymore.

"Come. You need to get back to the tree house and rest," He said. Neji helped me up and allowed me to lean against him as we walked back to the tree house, since I was incapable of walking myself.

When I awoke the next morning I was alone. My energy and strength was fully recovered. I lay still for a moment until I remembered that today was the day I was going to meet the Hokage of Konohagakure. I leapt to my feet and looked out the window in time to see Naruto, Neji, and Sasuke emerging from the woods.

"Are you ready to go, Hoshi?" Sasuke called up to me.

"Definitely. Be right down, cousin," I called back. Excited I grabbed my bag off the bed and hurried down the tree.

"Are you feeling better today?" Neji asked quietly.

"Yes. I'm fine," I replied, touched that he was concerned. He silently handed me a ninja headband and I smiled delightedly.

"Thanks Neji," I said as I tied it around my head.

"Not a problem."

"Come on, you guys, let's go!" Naruto said excitedly.

I kept my head down as we walked through Konohagakure. Strangely enough no one even looked twice at me and for that I was thankful. Neji stuck close to my side and when we reached the house of the Hokage my friends paused.

"You should let us go in first, Hoshi," Neji said to me. I nodded numbly and he smiled reassuringly as he and the others all walked inside, leaving me alone.

I was anxious as I waited for them to return. A little ways away from me stood a man, leaning against a wall and reading a book. A cloth covered most of his face and he had a ninja bandana pulled down over one eye. From description I recognized him immediately as Kakashi Hatake. He looked up at me repeatedly when he thought I wasn't looking. As much as I wanted to go over and talk with him, I remained where I was, waiting for my friends.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji came out a moment later, looking triumphant.

"Hoshi, come with me. The Hokage would like to see you," Neji said to me. I followed him inside as Naruto and Sasuke walked off.

"What's going on?" I asked Neji.

"She just wants to meet you," He said reassuringly.

The Hokage sat at her desk, observing me silently and I was careful to keep my face studiously blank.

"So…you really can't recall where you're from?" She asked me.

"No ma'am," I replied smoothly.

"You have no memory of anything at all?"

"Almost nothing. I remember my attacks, but not where I learned them."

She continued to stare at me for a few more minutes before saying anything else.

"Well, Hoshi, you don't seem like a bad person, and Neji claims he hasn't picked up any bad vibes from you. If you want, you may stay in Konohagakure, at least until someone comes to find you or you remember where you came from. Until then you may train with Neji. Since you don't have a village insigma on your headband I can give you one from Konohagakure. Also, there's a place you can stay- a house where traveling ninja often stay when they are passing through here. Neji can show you where it is. Please don't do anything to make me regret my decision to let you stay here," She said finally.

"Thank you, Hokage, I won't let you down," I promised. She smiled and nodded, and then I turned to leave.

"Just a moment, Hoshi," Neji said to me, then turned to the Hokage, "Hokage have you ever heard of anyone's Chakra…leaking?"

She thought silently for a moment before shaking her head no.

"No I haven't, Neji. Why?" The Hokage asked.

"Just something I noticed when I was using my Byakugan," He replied, shooting me a sideways glance.

"You should ask around. Talk to Kakashi Hatake. He knows a lot more than I do…about some things," Said the Hokage.

"Very well. Thank you, Hokage," Neji said, bowing slightly. Then we left the room.

When we were outside we found that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi Hatake were outside, waiting for us.

"So, you're Hoshi," Said Kakashi Hatake, looking at me lazily with his one eye. It chilled me to think that he could be using his Sharingan with his other eye.

"Yes…you're Kakashi Hatake," I replied.

"Mm."

"Kakashi, Have you ever heard of anyone's Chakra leaking?" Neji asked him. Kakashi turned to Neji.

"Leaking? Not that I can recall. Why?" He asked interestedly.

"Hers is," Neji replied, nodding to me. Kakashi frowned intensely.

"It's not enough for anyone else to notice nor is it enough to make much of a difference in her strength. It was just something I noticed," Neji said to him.

"That is…very interesting, Neji. I'll ask around, but I've never heard of anything like that before," Kakashi replied, and with that he left. I was left in my own silent awe of the ninja.

"Come. I'll show you where the house is that the hokage mentioned," Neji said to me, jolting me out of my stupor. I nodded and followed him through Konohagakure.

The house that Neji led me to was pretty decent. It was way better than the tree house at any rate. There was a kitchen (not that I knew how to cook) and a dining room. The bedroom had an actual bed and not just some mattress stuffed in a corner. While Neji showed me through the house I heard the front door open. I ducked my head into the hallway to see who it was and I found myself face-to-face with a red-haired, blue-eyed, girl that startled me so that I fell to the ground. If I had better Chakra control I would not have fallen and I had to face this humiliation as I struggled to get to my feet.

"Destiny boy!" She shouted as Neji rounded the corner.

"Hey, Space Cadet," Neji replied, embracing her. I raised a curious eyebrow at the girl…she seemed strangely familiar. Neji noticed my curiosity and smiled as their hug ended.

"Hoshi, this is my little sister, Yumi," He said to me. Yumi? Where had I heard that name before…

"I didn't know you had a sister," I said vaguely as I tried to recall where I knew her from.

"I must've forgotten to mention her," He replied and flinched slightly as Yumi shot him a dark look.

"How could you've forgotten to mention me? I _am _your only sister, after all," She said hotly.

"Sorry, Space Cadet. What're you doing here anyway?" He asked coolly.

"Looking for you."

"Well, you found me."

Yumi dug around in a bag she had on her back and produced a brand new Konohagakure ninja headband. She handed it to Neji.

"The hokage said to give this to you. …I think it must be for her," Yumi said, nodding to me. Neji nodded and handed it to me. I removed the old headband and put the new one in place.

"I now I really feel like a new ninja," I said delightedly.

Neji left a short while after that, but a curious Yumi remained to talk to me.

"So, where are you from?" Yumi asked me.

"I don't remember. Neji and the others found me in the forest, but I can't recall anything…except my attacks, that it," I replied quickly.

"Really? What sort of attacks do you know?"

I thought for a moment before replying.

"I can do a water wall and a water prison," I answered. When in doubt, go with the truth…or at least part of it.

"That's all?" Yumi asked skeptically.

"That's all that I know. I can't do very much…My Chakra is leaking," I replied.

"Leaking?" She asked, slightly perturbed.

"According to your brother it is. I'm hoping to become a little more skilled in taijutsu, since taijutsu attacks don't use Chakra," I explained.

"Oh. But still- a leaking Chakra? That's so weird!" She exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," I groaned, "And I can't control it."

"Is that why you fell down when I came in?" Yumi asked with a slight smile.

"You startled me! …But yeah. I can't even sit in a tree without falling," I replied gloomily.

"Well if anyone can teach you Chakra control, it's my brother," She said confidently. I smiled at Yumi, envying her apparent confidence.

"It'll take a lot of Chakra control if I ever hope to become an Anbu Ninja," I said to Yumi.

"An Anbu Ninja? Really? That's what I wanna be, too!"

"Awesome. So tell me- why do you call Neji 'Destiny Boy'?" I inquired curiously.

"It just suits him, don't you think?"

"It does," I admitted, "And you're…Space Cadet?"

"Only Neji's allowed to call me that," She replied coolly.

"Oh."

There were a few minutes of silence and Yumi seemed to be considering something. When she finally did speak it startled me, almost to the point where I fell again.

"Hey! I know some things you can do to help build up your Chakra control, and you don't even need Neji," she said suddenly.

"Really? Like what?"

"Tree walking, for one. It's pretty basic, but it's all about controlling your Chakra output. You gather Chakra at the bottoms of your feet and try to walk up a tree. Use too much and you get thrown back, but use too little and you fall down," Yumi replied.

"Sounds painful," I said, not at all liking the idea of falling down or being thrown backwards.

"No, it's fun, come on," She encouraged. I shrugged my shoulders and followed Yumi outside.

Yumi led me to a large oak tree with a smooth trunk that was about 30 feet tall. I was antsy as I approached it and willed my Chakra to gather at the bottom of my feet. Tentatively I approached the tree and took a step onto the trunk. I took a few more steps and the triumph I felt distracted me to the point that my Chakra failed me and I went crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ouch," I said weakly, dazed.

"You didn't hit your head did you?" Yumi asked. I shook my head and got to my feet, intent on trying again. The next time I had almost gotten to the top when I felt my Chakra starting to fail me. I let out an involuntary shriek as I plummeted towards the ground.

A pair of strong arms caught me just before I hit the ground. I opened my eyes in surprised and found that my voice had left me.

"Another moment and you would've been nothing more than a Hoshi-splatter on the ground," Neji said, smiling slightly, "…Are you okay?"

"Fine. A Hoshi-splatter?" I asked with a smirk. He smiled slightly again and then set me down safely on the ground, though my heart was still racing.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hoshi?" Neji asked again.

"I'm fine," I insisted, "Yumi wouldn't have let me fall."

At that moment I looked around and saw that Yumi was not anywhere near us. She was a little ways away talking to a boy with a dog and she seemed oblivious to the fact that I had almost become a 'Hoshi-splatter' as Neji put it.

"Flirting with Kiba, as usual. Let me go drag her away," Neji said with a sigh. He sent me another brief smile and walked briskly over to where Yumi and Kiba stood.

"Come on, Space Cadet, you're supposed to be teaching Hoshi," I heard Neji say to her as he grabbed her arm and attempted to drag her away.

"Stop it, Destiny Boy, I'm talking! You go teach her!" Yumi retorted, snatching her arm away and turning back towards Kiba. At that moment another slightly familiar face appeared as Kakashi Hatake walked across the field. He glanced at me briefly as he passed and at that moment my entire body went numb. When he looked away I was still in a bit of a stupor and could only listen as he spoke to Kiba.

"Kiba, I would like you and Akamaru to help me with something," Kakashi said to him.

"Of course we will. See you later, Yumi," Kiba said to her, kissing her cheek.

"See ya, Kiba," She replied with a smile. Neji rolled his eyes as he and Yumi walked back over to me. My eyes followed inadvertently as Kakashi Hatake led Kiba and Akamaru off the field. Neji's voice snapped me back to attention.

"Yumi, if you're going to help Hoshi train you need to stay focused and make sure she doesn't fall again," Neji was saying to her. His concern was touching and I blushed faintly.

"Okay, fine, whatever," Yumi replied coolly. Neji sighed and walked away.

"Sorry about that. I got a little distracted. Did you get to the top of the tree?" Yumi asked me as soon as he was gone.

"Uh, sure," I lied quickly, hoping she wouldn't make me tree-walk anymore.

"Great. You know, Hoshi, if we're going to be friends you can't be cheating on my brother," She said seriously.

"Who- wha- huh? What're you talking about?" I stammered.

"Well you were practically drooling over Kakashi Hatake," she replied. I blushed again and covered my face with my hands.

"I don't like him," I said, but we both knew that was a lie, "…he's old."

At least the last part was the truth, but Kakashi didn't _look _old, at least not to me. He looked…intriguing.

"Well good. Neji wouldn't like it if you drooled at Kakashi every time he walked by," Yumi retorted.

"But…I'm not even dating Neji…I don't even know if he likes me," I replied, staring intently at the ground.

"Of _course_ he likes you! It's so obvious. He's never concerned about anyone like he is with you. You two may not be dating now…but you will be," Yumi assured me.


	2. fun with Space Cadet and Dog Boy

The next morning I met up with Yumi at the Ramen bar where she and Naruto sat with another girl. The other girl had blue hair and when she looked up I found myself staring into eyes that were startlingly familiar. She had the same silver eyes as Neji.

"Hi," I said blankly and the girl smiled shyly.

"Hoshi, this is my cousin, Hinata. Hinata, this is Hoshi, my new friend," Yumi said, smiling radiantly.

"Nice to meet you, Hoshi," Hinata said to me bashfully.

"And you, Hinata," I replied, no longer spellbound by her familiar eyes. My own eyes wandered over to Naruto who was shoveling ramen into his mouth at an alarming rate.

"…Anyway, Hoshi, I can't really think of anything else to do, unless you'd like to try tree-walking again?" Yumi asked.

"Not a good idea," I replied, wincing slightly. I was covered with bruises from where I had fallen many times yesterday.

"Well then maybe I could introduce you to some of the Konoha," she suggested. The Konoha was another name for the ninja of Konohagakure.

"I dunno, Yumi, I'm not really a social person," I replied awkwardly.

"Oh come on, Hoshi, it'll be-"

At that moment Yumi desisted talking and her expression hardened and she clenched her jaw as she stared at a spot just past me. I turned, curious to see what had caused such a drastic change in her usually hyper personality. It was only pink-haired Sakura, one of the few who knew my secret. Sakura walked over to me, smugly ignoring Yumi, which angered me.

"Hoshi, Neji is looking for you," she said in a sugary-sweet voice.

"He could've come told us that himself," Yumi said hotly, fists balled. I put a steady hand on her forearm and forced her to stay down.

"No need to pick a fight, Yumi, just relax," I said calmly. She let out a grunt and relaxed slightly.

"I'll find him in a moment, thank you Sakura," I said to her. Sakura nodded and flounced out of the ramen bar without so much as a second glance at Yumi.

"What was _that _all about?" I asked, rounding on Yumi.

"Nothing," she muttered darkly.

"Seems like a whole lot of trouble for nothing," I retorted.

"Go find Destiny Boy, he's waiting for you," Yumi grumbled. Sakura had had a very negative effect on Yumi and I didn't feel like arguing with one of the only friends I had in Konohagakure, so I gave in.

"Fine. See you later, Yumi. It was nice meeting you, Hinata," I said to her.

"Good-bye Hoshi," Hinata said with a faint smile. I turned to Naruto who had two empty bowls in front of him and was working on a third.

"Later Naruto. Don't eat too fast," I warned him.

"See ya, Hoshi," He replied through a mouth full of food.

Outside, the first thing I noticed was that Kakashi Hatake stood against the wall of the ramen bar, reading a book. I forced myself not to look up as I walked past and I could've sworn I heard him chuckle under his breath. After I was safely past Kakashi I went to find Neji, who was waiting for me outside of my house.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you," He said to me.

"For me? Why?" I asked curiously.

"To help you with your training, of course. I'm not going to let my sister turn you into a Hoshi-splatter," He said with a faint smile.

"What you want to help turn me into a Hoshi-splatter, too?" I asked jokingly. Neji's smile broadened and I found myself smiling as well.

"Yes, I'm going to help turn you into a Hoshi-splatter. It wouldn't be the first time it happened to a ninja during training. Come with me," He said, beckoning.

I followed him through Konohagakure and as we passed a large bulletin board I froze. A wanted poster of me was hung alongside a dozen or so other missing-nin from various villages. I was speechless for a moment, unable to move, until I felt Neji's hand on my arm.

"Come, Hoshi. It's alright," He said quietly. I nodded numbly and began to follow him again. We left the village and walked into the woods together.

"Neji…where are we going?" I asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"You'll see," He replied with a small smile. We continued walking and Neji continued to refuse me the knowledge of our destination.

"Alright, Destiny Boy, keep your secret then," I said when he'd refused for about the fifteenth time to tell me where we were going.

"Don't call me that," He said with a pained expression.

"What? …_Destiny boy?_" I asked tauntingly.

"Hoshi…" He pleaded.

"Destiny boy, Destiny boy, Destiny boy, Destiny boy, Destiny boy," I chanted as I walked along, "Destiny boy, DESTINY BOY!"

"Quiet! Do you want the whole world to hear you," He hissed annoyed, but only slightly. I smiled brightly, but stopped chanting.

"It is good to see you smiling, though. Most of the time you look like you expect the trees to come alive and grab you," He said as we continued walking. I blushed and stared intently at the ground again.

We finally reached our destination, which appeared to be nothing more than a lake.

"A lake?" I asked Neji, slightly bewildered.

"Yes, a lake," He replied calmly, "You're going to try water-walking instead of tree walking."

"But it's basically the same concept?" I inquired.

"Yes…"

"But now if I fall I'll drown!" I exclaimed exaggeratingly.

"All the more reason for you not to fall. Besides Hoshi, do you really think you're going to drown?" Neji asked, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"…No…" I replied meekly.

"Exactly. If Naruto can master water-walking, I am sure you can as well," He said certainly.

"Your confidence in my abilities is frighteningly misplaced, Neji…but I'll give it a try," I said with a sigh. I gathered the Chakra at the bottoms of my feet and began to walk across the water. I was frighteningly unstable at first, but I was not sinking, and as I got farther out on the water, the steadier I became. I looked back towards Neji and saw he was watching me intently through his Byakugan.

"What're you doing, Neji?" I called to him.

"Watching your Chakra levels. They're steady so far," He responded without breaking his own concentration. The water rippled suddenly as the wind blew across the lake and I had to adjust my Chakra levels…which is when it failed me. It seemed to splutter for a moment and then died altogether like a candle flame, as I fell down into the water.

I was surrounded in darkness for more than a few moments. Then, with a little effort, I pushed myself to the surface.

"You okay?" Neji called from the shore.

"Fine!" I called back. I ducked underwater, found the right current, and swam back to the shore with amazing speed. I climbed out of the water, my wet clothes clinging to me.

"You swim quite well," Neji said as I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes.

"Well there a lot of lakes in Kirigakure. My sensei taught me how to find the currents and flow with them rather than against them," I replied.

"That lesson can often occur in life as well. I think 'go with the flow' is what it means. Your sensei must have been a very brilliant man. What was his name?" Neji asked me.

"His name was Shishi. He really was smart, but he repeatedly pushed me to my limit and beyond. That's why I left Kirigakure," I said quietly.

"I'm certain they would not have pushed you so hard if they knew about your Chakra problem. You should try and see it from their point of view," He replied.

"Their point of view doesn't interest me. They shouldn't have pushed me beyond my limit. They all saw I couldn't do it, but they continued to push me," I said through clenched teeth. I hung my head and closed my eyes as tears of fury welled to the surface. Neji lifted my face gently upwards.

"They were wrong to do that, Hoshi," He whispered quietly. I didn't respond, but I kept my eyes squinched shut as two pathetic tears leaked out.

"Hoshi? Look at me. Why are you crying?" Neji asked gently.

"Stupid," I muttered, swiping at the tears. I tore myself from his grasp and sat down on the ground with my head in my hands. Neji, who seemed at a loss for words, sat down beside me. He hesitantly put one arm around my shoulder.

"You're not stupid, Hoshi," He said awkwardly. I allowed myself to be pulled closer to him, which shocked me so much that I stopped crying and looked up at him. He smiled at me tenderly, but said nothing more.

We sat there for a few more minutes, and then I stood up awkwardly.

"I'm okay now. Let's go back to the village," I said quietly. Neji said nothing as he got to his feet and we walked back to Konohagakure in silence.

When we got back to the village we found Yumi and Hinata waiting outside of my house.

"Hey, Yumi, what's up?" I asked, my cheerfulness a little bit forced.

"There you are, Hoshi! I'm going to take you around the village and make you meet people," Yumi replied enthusiastically.

"Gee, Yumi, you know I'm not really a social person…" I said, backing away slowly.

"Come on! It'll be loads of fun!" She said grabbing my arm. I gave in to her enthusiasm.

"Okay, fine," I said meekly.

"Yay!" Yumi shouted victoriously.

"Hey, Space Cadet, could I borrow Hoshi for another moment? I just want to ask her something," Neji said to her.

"Ask away," Yumi said.

"Privately," He replied, rolling his eyes as his sister. Yumi released me and I followed Neji a little ways away. I looked up to meet his eyes curiously.

"Would you like to come to dinner with me this evening? I have something I'd like to show you," Neji said with embarrassment. I blushed as well.

"Sure…yeah," I stammered. He smiled at me.

"Great. Back to Yumi, then," He said, nodding to where Yumi and Hinata still stood. I walked back over to Yumi and when I looked back Neji was gone.

"So, what did he ask you?" Yumi asked, grabbing my arm again.

"Nothing…" I mumbled quickly.

"Oh come on, Hoshi! Tell me!" she pleaded. I looked away from her.

"We're going to dinner," I said quietly.

"I knew it!" She squealed triumphantly, "Hoshi likes Neji! Hoshi likes Neji!"

"Quiet, Yumi! It's not even like that! He just has something to show me," I retorted, clamping a hand over her mouth as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"I bet I know what that is," She said in a singsong yet still perverted voice.

"Eww shut up you perverted, hyper, puppy dog! _It's not like that_," I repeated with emphasis. Yumi shrugged her shoulders, but continued to smile until I punched her in the shoulder, but not hard enough to really hurt her.

Yumi and Hinata led me all throughout Konohagakure and introduced me to just about everyone in the village. I learned names and memorized faces, though I was only allowed to see each of them briefly. We avoided Sakura so as not to cause a repeat episode of what almost happened in the ramen bar.

We were walking down the street on the way back towards my house when Yumi spotted a familiar face.

"Kiba!" She shouted happily and walked over to the brown-haired boy and his white puppy whom we had seen before.

"What's up, Yumi? …Who's your friend?" Kiba asked as I walked up behind them.

"Huh? Oh! This is Hoshi. She's one of our new ninjas," Yumi said without looking at me.

"Hello, Hoshi, my name is Kiba, and this my friend Akamaru," Kiba said to me. Akamaru was the dog that was sitting at his feet.

"Pleased to meet you, Kiba. …And you Akamaru," I said, squatting down to talk to the dog. Akamaru stood on his hind legs and put his paws on my face as he licked me.

"Eww!" I exclaimed, though I was laughing, "I guess he likes me."

I looked up to see Yumi and Kiba's reaction, but they had eyes only for each other.

"Hey, Space Cadet, stop making goo-goo eyes at Kiba!" Called a familiar voice. I perked up and looked around to see Neji making his way towards us.

"Kinda early, aren't you, Destiny Boy?" Yumi asked, tearing her gaze away from Kiba.

"Well I figured Hoshi needed saving. I would not force her to endure you and dog boy making goo-goo eyes at each other," Neji replied, smiling. Kiba, instead of taking it as an insult, grinned wolfishly at Neji.

"Don't call him Dog Boy, Neji!" Yumi said angrily.

"Fine. I'll just take my Hoshi and leave," He retorted with a smile as he grabbed my arm. My heart was pounding. Did he just call me _his _Hoshi?

"I didn't need saving, you know," I said as he led me down the street. It was getting dark out and the sky was beautiful shades of blue and purple.

"I know, but I was getting bored," He replied with a slight smile.

Neji led me to the ramen bar, which was probably the only place to eat in Konohagakure. Unfortunately we were not the only people there. When we went in and sat down Naruto made his way over to us.

"Hey Hoshi, how's it going? Been working on your training?" Naruto asked me.

"Yep. After Yumi almost killed me with tree-walking, Neji and I went to the lake to try water-walking, which I am infinitely better at," I replied.

"Neji was actually being _nice _to someone? That's a first," Said another familiar voice. I turned to see pink-haired Sakura standing behind us. A surge of hatred towards Sakura welled inside of me, probably due to the fact that Yumi was my friend and she did not like Sakura at all.

"He probably just wanted to see Hoshi in a wet T-shirt," Naruto said to her with a grin. I blushed a deep shade of red and stared intently at the ground as Sakura laughed.

"Get out of here, you idiot," Neji said, slapping Naruto hard across the face. Naruto fell to the ground, but came back up laughing.

"Alright, alright, I won't ruin your date," He said, dodging as Neji aimed another punch out of him. Then both Naruto and Sakura ducked out of the ramen bar, grinning like idiots.

"He was wrong, you know. I would not take advantage of you like that," Neji said quietly. I looked up at him.

"I know. You didn't expect me to fall in the water anyway," I replied, and then I looked back down at the table.

When our ramen came we ate in silence. I twisted the noodles thoughtfully around my chopsticks before eating them. I noticed Neji was watching me intently and it made me nervous.

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked finally. He looked startled.

"My apologies. I did not realize I was staring. I was just watching how you eat- you're left handed?" He asked. I looked at the chopsticks I held in my left hand.

"Yes," I replied blankly.

"But your water jutsu… you used it with your right hand if I recall correctly," He said. I smiled slightly.

"That is how it was taught to me and how I have always used it. I tried it once with my left hand and I nearly broke my wrist," I replied, still smiling.

"I see. Shishi was right-handed?"

"Yes."

We were silent after that until we were done eating, then Neji led me outside.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked him as we walked.

"Back to the lake," Was his reply.

"Not more training?" I groaned.

"Not at all. I have something to show you," Neji replied. He smiled mischievously and my heart leapt, especially as I recalled Yumi's earlier remarks.

"Don't worry," He said as we walked into the woods.

"Do I need to be worried?" I asked with a grin.

"I should hope not," Was his reply.

When we reached the lake I gasped in awe. The moon and stars were reflecting off the water as it rippled. It was silent except for the chattering of a few nightingales. I stood in wonderment for what seemed like an eternity.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Neji whispered softly, his warm breath tickling my ear.

"It is," I agreed, smiling. Neji smiled as well and walked closer to the water.

"What're you doing?" I asked, following him.

"I am going for a swim," He said, taking off his shirt, "you are more than welcome to join me."

He kicked off his shoes and was about to jump in when I noticed something.

"Your headband. You don't want to get it wet," I said to him. He hesitated for a moment and then untied his headband and lay it on the ground beside his shirt. By the light of the moon and stars I glimpsed the mark that was branded on his forehead.

"Where did you get that mark?" I asked him quietly. He sighed and sat down on the ground.

"Because I am a member of the Hyuuga branch family I was branded with a curse seal. From a young age, all the members of the branch family are possessed with a terrible curse in the form of a mark on the forehead, which allows anyone in the main family to be able to control and manipulate them. All that a member of the main family would need to do is form a simple hand seal which inflicts severe pain on the member of the branch family, and is used if the member were to ever step out of line," Neji said to me. I sat down beside him on the ground.

"That's horrible. Do Hinata and Yumi have one as well?" I inquired curiously.

"Yumi does. Hinata…does not."

"Why doesn't Hinata have one?" I asked curiously.

"She's not a member of the branch family. She's a member of the main family," He murmured.

"But…then…. She could-…?"

"She _could, _but somehow I don't see my cousin torturing anyone, especially me, do you?"

"No. No of course not," I replied, my initial shock fading. I inched closer to Neji to further examine the mark on his forehead. It was basically an X with a line on both sides of it. I touched the mark on his forehead very gently and Neji closed his eyes and turned his face away from me.

"It doesn't hurt, does it?" I asked softly. He shook his head no and looked back at me, smiling a small, sad smile. Neji got to his feet slowly and I followed him up.

"Did we come here to swim or talk about curse seals?" He asked with an intense smile. I recognized the change in subject and accepted it.

"Swim, of course," I said with a grin.

"Good. Maybe you can teach me how to flow with the currents," He replied, just before he leapt into the water. I watched him swimming for a moment, subconsciously admiring his muscles, before jumping in as well. The currents found me naturally and I swam beneath the water for a long time before surfacing.

"There you are," Neji said, swimming over to me, "I was beginning to think you'd drown."

"No such luck, Destiny Boy. We're going to have a swimming contest," I said with a mischievous grin.

"No fair, Hoshi, we weren't all raised in Kirigakure! …And don't call me Destiny Boy!" Neji protested, but he was smiling.

"Come on, Neji, don't be a wimp! Afraid you'll get beat by a girl?" I asked teasingly.

"Yes, since the girl was raised about water," He answered honestly.

"Please, Neji, race with me! You know this is the only thing I'm any good at. You could be me at anything else, at least give me a chance to try," I begged lightly.

"Fine."

After our race, which I won of course, I worked on teaching Neji how to find the currents and flow with them. It didn't work out to well at first because he couldn't hold his breath for very long.

"Come on, Neji, I can hold my breath for over five minutes and you can't stay under for even two," I said when we surfaced for the third time in a row.

"How long did it take you to learn that, Hoshi? It was part of your training with Shishi, wasn't it? Well I never learned this. That's why you're here to teach me," He replied evenly.

"A genin teaching a jonin? There's a laughable thought. Better not let anyone else hear you talking about that," I teased him. He smiled and ducked back underwater.

When we were both exhausted we climbed out of the water, looking pretty haggard. I noticed that Neji's hair had come undone at some point. He usually kept it tied behind his back with a hair tie, but it seemed to be missing.

"Your hair looks really great when it's not tied back," I said and, without thinking, I ran my fingers absently through his long hair. He smiled and closed his eyes. I pulled my hand away and blushed when I realized what I was doing.

"Sorry," I murmured, hiding my face in my hands.

"It's okay, Hoshi," He said in a soothing voice, and he lay back on the ground. Neji reached up and took my hand and pulled me down next to him gently. I lay completely still. This was the closest I had ever been to him without touching him and he seemed to radiate body heat. I halfway sat up and examined his curse seal again.

"Another reason the Hyuuga Branch members are given the curse seal is to protect our Bloodline trait. If I was killed the mark would fade so that no one could force the secret of Byakugan from me," Neji said to me, lifting his head up.

"Then, why don't the Main family have them as well?" I asked, confused. Neji shrugged his shoulders.

"My Byakugan is stronger than most of my clan…but I could never be the leader because I am Branch family. Hinata is destined to be the clan leader when her father dies," He told me.

"That's ridiculous. I think that whoever is strongest is the most fit to be the leader," I said hotly.

"I used to think that fate was inescapable and we should just submit to our destiny. Now, thanks to my battle with Naruto, I believe that we can shape our own destinies," He replied. I thought for a moment and then had a revelation.

"So that is why Yumi calls you Destiny Boy," I said with a smile. He smiled as well and lay his head back down, closing his eyes. I traced the mark on his forehead once more before kissing it gently. He opened his eyes, startled at first, but then he smiled warmly and I lay my head on his bare chest. He held me close to him with one arm and absently stroked my hair. Then, lulled by his heartbeat and his fingers running through my hair, I fell asleep peacefully.

When I awoke the next morning the sun was shining down through the trees. My head still rested on Neji's stomach and his fingers were still curled in my hair. He still slept, his breathing even and his eyes closed peacefully. Nothing had happened, but I knew that rumors would be floating around Konohagakure when we returned. I could only imagine what perverted comments my friend Yumi would have to say about her brother and me.

Neji's silver eyes opened slowly as he awoke and he looked up at me and smiled.

"Good morning, Hoshi," He said, disentangling his fingers from my hair. I smiled as well and I blushed slightly.

"We should get back to the village," I whispered, a hint of remorse in my voice.

"Yes," He agreed, nodding his head. He retrieved his shirt from where he had laid it before we swam yesterday and slipped it over his head. He tied his headband back in place, hiding his cursed seal. We shared another smile before walking into the woods together.

On the path back home we talked a little bit.

"So where is Yumi's cursed seal? It's definitely not on her forehead," I asked as we walked.

"Well, she-"

At that moment his response was cut off by a ninja cry as three masked figures leapt from the branches of overhanging trees. They were hunter-ninja, no doubt. One of the masked figures through a shuriken at me and I dodged it as it embedded itself in a tree trunk.

"Fire Element; Grand Fireball," I said loudly. I inhaled deeply and willed a large amount of Chakra to gather there as well. Then I exhaled and a large fireball launched itself at the ninja who had attacked me. One of them was blown off course and burned very badly. The other two were only scalded.

"Water Style: Water Wall," I said, performing another attack that I had learned in Kirigakure. Water spouted from my mouth and formed a wall in front of me. Neji was using his Gentle fist technique on one of the hunter-ninja. My strength was almost gone and I was barely able to maintain enough Chakra to keep the water wall strong enough. The ninja leapt through the water and punched me hard in the stomach, causing me to drop the water and fall to the ground. The ninja approached me and stood over me, looking ominous in his black clothes and mask.

At that moment my eyes turned red and my hair got odd red streaks in it. I could now see the amount of blue Chakra energy gathering in the palm of my opponent's hand and was able to dodge out of the way before he connected with me.

As my opponent slammed his hand into the ground I realized that I could now see Chakra. I had developed my Sharingan! I tried to remember what I had learned. I could copy moves, supposedly, so I gathered Chakra in my fist, just as my opponent had, and sent his own attack into the back of his neck. He collapsed onto the ground and I went to help Neji with the other ninja.

When we finished off the last one I spotted a fast moving object darting through the woods.

"Now might be a good time for you to leave, Neji- …there are at least three more," I said to him through gritted teeth. I was almost out of energy.

"I never run from a battle, Hoshi, I'm with you," He said confidently, "Let's get some hunter ninja!"

With little difficulty we all but obliterated the three hunter ninja that were darting around in the woods. With my new Sharingan I was able to track them and their movements seemed slower to me than it would seem to an average ninja. By the time we had defeated them I was exhausted and didn't have enough Chakra to maintain my Sharingan. I staggered over to where Neji stood panting over the body of the last ninja. He delivered another kick before turning to me.

"Hoshi…are you okay?" He asked, reaching out a hand to steady me.

"I'm fine. See, I didn't need you to protect me," I said, gesturing to the ninja, most of whom I had defeated.

"I can see that. …Be careful," He said as I lost my balance. He put a steady arm on my shoulder to keep me from falling.

"I got my Sharingan," I said delightedly.

"I saw that. Your eyes were red and your hair had red streaks in it," He said to me.

"Really? Did you happen to see how many tomoe I had?" I asked quickly. Tomoe were the little lines in my eyes that appeared whenever I used my Sharingan. The more tomoe, the stronger the Sharingan, and the maximum number had always been three. My cousin Itachi had three tomoe.

"No, sorry if I was too busy battling to count the number of lines in your eyes," He remarked with a smile.

"Right. I can always look later when my Chakra is restored," I said.

Neji and I walked the rest of the way to Konohagakure in silence. Both of us were nearly exhausted beyond our limit and as we walked through the town a lot of people stared at us in wonder. I was leaning on Neji's shoulder and his right arm had been scraped by a shuriken.

"Oh my gosh! Hoshi! Neji!" Said a familiar voice. I looked up as Yumi ran over to us, looking worried. Kiba and Akamaru followed on her heels.

"We're fine, Yumi. There were ninja in the woods, but we defeated them," I said tiredly.

"You're not fine, you can't even stand up!" She exclaimed.

"I can, too," I argued and I stood up. Black spots danced in front of my eyes and I collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

When I awoke I was in a bed that wasn't mine and my energy felt restored. I opened my eyes to see that Neji lay beside me, so I could only assume that this was his room in his house. The door opened and in walked Yumi and Sasuke.

"Hey, cousin, how's it going?" Sasuke asked with a grin.

"Fine, you know, if it wasn't for being attacked in the woods," I replied with a grin of my own.

"We brought you here instead of taking you to the Hokage. It would have been difficult to explain why hunter-nin had attacked you," Sasuke said to me. I looked at Yumi, alarmed, but she smiled.

"It's okay, they told me who you are. …And I figured out why you look so familiar!" She exclaimed triumphantly.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because I knew you. I spent a small amount of time in Kirigakure and when I was there I met a girl named Naoshi Uchiha. It had slipped my mind until now, but you did a good job of disguising yourself," Yumi said to me.

"Apparently not a good enough job…the hunter-ninja still found me," I muttered darkly.

"I do not think you should worry. I doubt they can find Konohagakure, it is very well hidden," Neji said from beside me. I hadn't noticed he was awake and now that he was I looked at him and blushed.

"We need to have a talk," Yumi said to me suddenly. She grabbed my arm and halfway drug me out of the bed.

"I really don't think she should get up so soon-" Sasuke started, but Yumi and I were already gone.

Yumi led me to her room and we sat down on her bed with its satin red bed sheets.

"So, what were you two doing _before _the hunter-ninja attacked?" she asked with a smirk.

"N-nothing. Just talking," I said quickly, but my blush gave me away.

"Talking about what?"

"…His curse seal," I said quietly.

"Oh, is that all? Neji hides his like it's something to be ashamed of," She snorted. She moved her hair aside and let me see the same mark that was on her neck.

"So the two of you didn't do anything bad?" Yumi asked, smirking again.

"Not at all!" I exclaimed, still blushing.

"No clothes came off?" She asked prodding for information.

"No- wait… not exactly," I answered slowly. She sent me a look of disgust and triumph. Disgust because it was her brother, and triumph because she _thought _she was right.

"It wasn't anything like that, Yumi! We went swimming," I said calmly.

"_Nude _swimming?"

"NO!" I exclaimed, mortified.

"Then-"

"No more, you perverted, hyper, puppy!" I shouted, and I covered my ears with my hands and fled to the safe haven of Neji's room. I leapt into the bed and covered my face with Neji's pillow.

"Your sister is torturing me, Neji!" I complained playfully. It was then that I discovered his pillow smelled wonderful and I inhaled deeply.

"Leave her alone, Space Cadet," Neji said to Yumi, who had followed me and was standing in the doorway, grinning. Sasuke had left already.

"Alright, alright, Destiny Boy. …I'm going to find Kiba," She said, skipping out of the door. Neji sighed and pulled the pillow away form me.

"She's gone now," He said with a smile. I smiled as well and lay back down on the bed.


	3. Sharingan

Later that day, which was the day after we had fought the ninja, I went out to find Sasuke and tell him about my Sharingan. I found him at the practice field, throwing shurikens at targets.

"So, did Neji tell you about my Sharingan?" I asked when he tossed his last knife.

"You awakened it?" He asked, surprised.

"Why d'you sound so surprised, cousin?" I asked hotly.

"Well me and Neji certainly weren't talking about your _Sharingan,_" Sasuke said with a grin.

"Well what were you talking about?" I asked with a frown.

"Nothing," He said quickly, "Listen, I'd love to help you with your Sharingan training, but I'm going on a mission tomorrow and it may be a while before I get back."

"But…you're the only one who can help me learn," I said with a sad, puppy-dog face.

"Stop making the face… Kakashi can help you," Sasuke said. The very thought made my heart skip a beat.

"Uh, no that's okay, I think I'll just wait until you get back," I said so fast that my words tumbled over each other. Then I ran from the field.

A while later Yumi found me hiding behind the ramen shop.

"Hey, Hoshi, Lady Tsundae would like to see you," Yumi said to me, "Who are you hiding from?"

"Nobody. Who wants to see me?" I asked sheepishly.

"Lady Tsunade- the Hokage," She replied. I followed Yumi, wondering what on earth the Hokage could want me for. Had she found out about the fight in the woods?

We went into the Hokage's office and Yumi nodded to her and left.

"Welcome, Hoshi. I summoned you here to inform you that I am going to be placing you in Team 7," she said to me.

"What's Team 7?" I asked, slightly confused.

"It is one of our best ninja teams. It consists of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. You won't be expected to do many missions first. You'll mostly be training with the Jounin," Lady Tsunade replied.

"Oh. That's great. Who's the Jounin?" I asked curiously.

"Kakashi Hatake," Was her reply. I froze, but no long enough for her to notice.

"Okay. That's wonderful, Hokage, thank you," I said with a bow.

"You are most welcome, Hoshi. You may leave now," She said.

I hurried out of the office and as I was leaving, crashed headfirst into Kakashi Hatake who had been walking and reading at the same time.

"Sorry," I gasped, leaping to my feet.

"No, it's my fault. Walking and reading at the same time. Where were you off to in such a hurry?" He inquired, getting slowly to his feet.

"To find you actually. Lady Tsunade says that I am to be a member of Team 7 and…well it's difficult to explain…and you can't tell anyone…"

"What is it, Hoshi?" He asked calmly. The use of my name caught me off guard and I couldn't help but notice that it sounded wonderful coming from his lips. I shook my head to clear it and looked around to make sure no one else could hear before replying.

"I need help developing my Sharingan," I said quickly. His surprise was evident, even with half his face covered, but he didn't ask anything about my heritage.

"Has it already awoken?" He asked, leading me towards the training field.

"Yes," I said with a nod.

"How long ago?"

I hesitated for just a moment and decided to be truthful.

"Yesterday," I answered.

"That's good. Now, tell me what you know about Sharingan, in general," He said to me.

"Well, I know that the number of tomoe in each eye tells how powerful the user is. I know that I can copy attacks, and see Chakra…that's about it," I replied.

"Well there's more than that. The Sharingan's first and most well known ability is to memorize any technique that it witnesses. It can memorize any standard form of jutsu with perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as his own. In order to reproduce copied jutsu, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them," He said to me.

"So, like, if I were to try and copy Neji's gentle fist technique I might not be able to do it because I'm not as physically strong as he is?" I inquired.

"Precisely. The Sharingan's second ability is granting the user incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to track fast-moving objects with ease and even predict the subsequent movements of those objects. The ability to track and predict movement is largely based on individual skill, as unskilled users have much more trouble tracking fast-moving objects. A fully evolved Sharingan can track even the quickest opponents, though, like the first ability, it doesn't necessarily mean the user has the ability to react to it. This perception is also great enough to see through Genjutsu and to observe the movement and flow of Chakra, but not to the same extent or clarity as the Byakugan. It also gives color to Chakra. Additionally, the Sharingan grants the user exceptional analytical powers, allowing them to instinctively pick up on various visual clues with little difficulty," Kakashi said.

"So, I can see through illusions now?"

"Yes."

"Oh yeah!" I said happily, punching the air with my fist triumphantly.

"The Sharingan's third capability is a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent. When used in conjunction with the aforementioned aspects of the Sharingan, this allows the user to perfectly mimic every move their opponent makes, even before they do, making it appear as if the user can see the future. It also allows for other forms of hypnotism, such as putting an opponent to sleep, replaying memories to someone else, or creating various illusions to fool an opponent."

"Putting them to sleep?"

"Making them fall asleep for as long as you wish. I can do this quite easily," He said quietly.

"Interesting."

"Yes. Unlike Byakugan, Sharingan drains energy at a more rapid pace, therefore it is necessary to practice it until you get strong enough to use it effectively," Kakashi said.

"That's what you're here for. To train me," I replied with a smile.

Of course. I think the best way to start would be to see how many tomoe you possess, so use your Sharingan," He said to me. I nodded and took a stance.

"Sharingan," I said aloud.

With my Sharingan activated I could now see the Chakra that leaked from my body. It was faint and blue and seemed to cover my skin. It was disappearing into the air at a slow pace, but then it would be replaced by more of my leaking Chakra.

"That's enough, Hoshi, we wouldn't want to drain your energy," Kakashi said suddenly.

Without my Sharingan I could not longer see the leaking Chakra so I looked up at Kakashi.

"You have two tomoe. It also became apparent to me that when you are using your Sharingan your hair had red streaks in it," He said to me.

"That's unusual?" I asked, biting my lower lip.

"I've never seen it happen, but I suppose Sharingan works different for all of us. Also, your Chakra problem may be the cause of that," Kakashi replied.

At that moment I heard footsteps and looked up to see Neji walking across the field to us.

"There you are Hoshi. I was looking for you," Neji said to me.

"She is training with me," Kakashi said coolly.

"I think it's important for Hoshi to build up her physical strength as well. It may help her better control not only her Chakra, but her Sharingan as well," He replied. Kakashi seemed startled to find that Neji knew about my Sharingan as well.

"Very well. You may take her. Hoshi, I would like for you to come here tomorrow morning and we will work on your perception of fast moving objects as well as your tracking skills," Kakashi said to me.

Neji and I walked off of the field together and headed in the general direction of his house.

"How did you know I was training with my Sharingan?" I asked Neji.

"You were with Kakashi-sensei. What else would you be doing?" He replied evenly. I didn't respond.

As we walked I wondered where we were going. We had already passed his house.

"Where are we going, Neji?" I asked him finally.

"For a run," He answered, "To help build up your physical strength."

I didn't particularly like running because I usually lost balance and fell flat on my face, but for Neji I would do it.

"I'll run, but be forewarned that the last time Shishi-sensei and I ran together I broke my nose," I warned.

"On what?" He asked, looking at me.

"The ground," Was my answer. He smiled and laughed at me until I smiled as well.

We ran quickly and without speaking, down a forest path and back again. I kept my arms out behind my back to gain velocity as well as speed and, miraculously, I did not fall down.

When we got back to Konohagakure we were on the way to Neji's house when a girl stopped in front of us. Her brown hair was in two pigtails and I didn't like the way she was looking at Neji.

"Hey Neji," Said the girl, smiling.

"Hello Tenten," He replied, though he didn't smile back at her.

"I was hoping we could do some training today," She said casually.

"I'm sorry, Tenten, I'm helping Hoshi train."

"But…you usually train with me," She said sadly.

"Not today, Tenten," Was his reply.

"Hey Destiny Boy! Come here for a minute!" Called a familiar voice. It was Yumi, standing over by Kiba and Akamaru a little ways away.

"I'll be back in a moment, Hoshi," Neji said to me, hurrying over to his sister. Tenten turned to me as soon as Neji was out of earshot.

"You think you can come in here and take Neji away from me?" She hissed. My eyes narrowed.

"It didn't seem like he particularly wanted to train with you," I retorted coolly.

"Neji loves me!" She growled, "You should just go back to wherever you came from. You don't belong here and you're ruining everything!"

Before I knew it I was battling the strange girl with a fiery vengeance. She pulled out a summoning scroll and began to twirl it, summoning shurikens and throwing knives that I easily dodged thanks to my Sharingan.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu," I said, forming the symbols with my hands. A huge ball of water formed around Tenten, blocking all of her weapons. My Chakra weakened quickly thanks to my Sharingan and Tenten soon broke free of my water prison when I could no longer hold it steady. I dodged as she tossed another shurikens at me, but in my weakened state I was slow and the throwing-star caught me in the left arm. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming and by the time my arm went numb I was furious. I gathered Chakra in my right hand to punch her like I had done the hunter-ninja, but instead of staying invisible to the naked eye it formed a sphere of something that was not water. At that moment I didn't care what it was and I hurled it at Tenten. It caught her dead in the stomach and she went flying backwards. She got to her feet staggeringly and before I had a chance to hurl another sphere at her I was grabbed roughly from behind.

It was one of the sensei's I had been introduced to. His name was Might guy, but most people called him Guy Sensei. He grabbed my arms hard from behind to keep me from further harming Tenten. He grabbed my wounded arm a little too hard and blood was seeping out of the gash. So I turned my head slightly and bit him…hard! He let out a yell and released me.

"Hoshi!" Neji called, pushing past Guy Sensei and Kakashi, who were helping Tenten.

I made my way to him and clamped my right hand over the wound in my left forearm.

"She started it," I murmured, dizzy from blood loss.

"Did not you little liar!" Tenten shouted, trying to push past Kakashi Hatake who kept her at bay. I made a step towards Tenten, but Guy-sensei stopped me again, this time he was careful not to touch my injured arm. I made an attempt to launch myself past him, but he grabbed me by the hair, which stopped me short. Tenten was being held back by Kakashi who had her by the arm. Both Kakashi and Guy looked at each other exasperatedly.

"Unhand me so I can kill her," I snarled at Guy sensei.

"You hear that? She tried to annihilate me! She should be locked up!" Tenten shouted. More people emerged from various places to watch our fight. I saw Sasuke looking slightly amused.

"Stop being so melodramatic, Tenten. You _did _start it, I saw you," Neji said in a low, but furious voice. She stopped struggling with Kakashi, wounded by Neji's words. Neji took my right arm gently and pulled me away from Guy-sensei.

He led me back to his house without saying a word to me and when we were there we went to his room and he sat me on the bed. He disappeared for a moment, but soon returned with bandages and warm water.

"I didn't start that fight, Neji," I said quietly. I winced slightly as he cleaned the gash on my arm with warm water.

"I know," He replied calmly. He continued to clean the gash and then wrapped the bandage tightly to stop the bleeding.

When he came back from getting rid of the extra water and bandages, he sat down on the bed and pulled me to him. I could hear his heart beating through his shirt and I might have fallen asleep if I wasn't so pumped full of adrenaline.

"What was that attack you used?" Neji asked me quietly.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"It was pure Chakra energy. It was the only time I saw Chakra without using my Byakugan. I was curious to see and when I did use my Byakugan, all the excess Chakra that floats over your skin- …it was gone! It all went into the ball you threw," He said, sounding slightly amazed.

Yumi walked through a little while later as it was getting dark outside. She paused at the doorway.

"I don't even wanna know what ya'll are doing," She said, and walked out calling, "I'm going to bed!"

Neji smiled at me slightly and I would have blushed, but I doubted I had enough blood left to do that.

"You should try to rest. You've lost a lot of blood," He said quietly.

"Sounds like a good idea. Will you put my headband over there?" I asked, nodding to the wooden table that sat near Neji's side of the bed. He nodded and untied my headband and lay it on the table. He took off his as well and lay it beside mine. I frowned slightly.

"What's wrong, Hoshi?" He asked, catching my frown.

"You always look so sad when you have to take off your headband. Why are you ashamed of this?" I asked, touching his cursed seal gently. He turned his face away.

"…It means I am a weaker member of the Hyuuga clan. If I was a member of the main family, I would be considered the strongest, but because I am a branch member I can never become the head of my family," He said quietly.

"I don't think it matters whether you are branch or main family; it only matters that _you _know you are strong. I think you're the strongest ninja in the whole Hyuuga clan, possibly in the whole village of Konohagakure," I said softly. He smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

"Thank you for saying that, Hoshi. It means a lot to me," He replied.

Neji and I stayed up most of the night. I was tired physically, but I didn't really want to sleep, so Neji stayed up as well and we talked until about 3:00 in the morning. That was when he fell asleep. I fell asleep soon after he did, laying my head on his chest and comforted by his steady heartbeat.

The next morning Neji changed the bandages on my arm before taking me out to the training field where Kakashi Hatake sat waiting for me, reading his book.

"Be careful, and don't get into any more fights, okay?" Neji asked quietly.

"Okay," I agreed. He smiled and kissed my cheek before walking off the training field. Kakashi walked over as soon as Neji was gone.

"Good morning, Hoshi. How's your arm?" Kakashi asked, closing his book.

"Better than it was yesterday," I muttered darkly.

"Speaking of yesterday, I'd like you to try more with those Chakra spheres of yours. I've never seen Jutsu quite like that," He said.

"Fine. Neji told me that when I made the sphere of energy, all of the Chakra that normally leaks…was no longer there. It all went into the sphere," I informed him.

"I know. I saw it with my Sharingan," Kakashi replied.

"How is Tenten? I didn't hurt her, did I?" I asked worriedly.

"She's got some bruises and a wounded pride, but she'll be fine. Why the concern? You obviously fought her for a reason, so why do you care if she's hurt or not?" He asked me.

"I don't like hurting people unless I have to. I would not have hurt Tenten if she had not thrown the shuriken at me. I tried using my water prison when she first used her summoning scroll. The water prison would not have hurt her, but I can't keep it up for very long. It's difficult to hold water in place when it doesn't want to be there," I replied.

"Interesting. Well, today you are working on Chakra spheres, not water prisons. I've set targets and random intervals throughout the field. I want you to try and hit each one, as best you can," Kakashi said. I squinted my eyes and looked across the field. There were ten targets on the field; one was ten feet away, the second was 20, the third was 30 feet, and so on.

"I can try, but I don't promise great results," I said with a sigh.

"And I don't expect great results. Not on your first try, anyway," Kakashi replied with a faint smile that I could barely see through his mask.

I gathered my Chakra in my hand and it once more formed a blue sphere of energy. I shot it at the nearest target and hit it dead on. I formed another sphere and shot it at the second target…then the third, and fourth, all hit dead on. On the fifth target my aim was a little off and by the ninth I hit the target four inches from the bulls eye. Unfortunately, I only hit the outside of the tenth target. Kakashi and I walked and examined the targets.

"What was that about not promising great results?" Kakashi asked with a smirk.

"Well, it's not perfect," I said as we reached the last target.

"You did fine, Hoshi. Your problem is you have no confidence in your abilities," He replied, "I didn't expect you to be able to control the path of you Chakra sphere, but you hit the first four targets dead-on. With a little more training I think that you will hit all ten of them dead-on."

After about four more hours of training with Kakashi he called it quits and I hurried back to Neji's house where he seemed to be waiting anxiously for me.

"Hoshi-… I have to go on a mission for the Hokage. I really hate leaving you here, but I have to go-" He started.

"It's alright, Neji, you can go. I have Kakashi Hatake to train with and Yumi will be here to make sure I stay out of trouble," I said lightly, but inside I was yearning for him to stay here with me.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" He asked me.

"Of course not. Why would I mind if you have to go on a mission?"

"I have to leave shortly. I'll miss you," He said quietly. I blushed faintly and stared at the ground, unable to say anything or to look up, until he had gone.

"Stupid, why didn't you say something?" I asked myself, banging my head against the wall. I was furious and thoroughly disgusted with my self for not saying good-bye to Neji properly. Maybe I should run after him and say something. What is something happened to him on his mission and I never got to say-?

"Don't think like that. He'll be fine," I commanded myself.

"You know talking to yourself is one of the first signs of madness," said Yumi, appearing out of nowhere. She grinned at me and I sighed sadly.

"I was just having an internal debate," I said to her.

"Sounds like it became a bit external to me. What were you debating?" She inquired.

"Nothing of importance."

"You should come hang out with me at the club. That'll take your mind off of him," She said excitedly.

"I don't think that'll help much, Yumi," I replied with another sigh.

"Well then at least come and eat at the ramen bar with me later on tonight."

"I dunno…I don't really feel like seeing anybody, especially after what happened with Tenten…" I said slowly.

"I'll let you sleep in his bed," She whispered in my ear. She had me hooked with that one and she knew it.

"Fine. I'll meet you at the ramen bar after sundown," I said quickly. She grinned triumphantly and I walked away.

I wandered through the woods by myself, thinking about a lot of things. I tried to remember Yumi coming to the village of Kirigakure, but I couldn't really remember. We got a lot of visitors in Kirigakure.

I wondered what Shishi was doing now. Sure he had pushed me to my limit, but he had been my sensei and I still missed him. Undoubtedly he had another pupil now, a better one. One that didn't have a leaky Chakra…

I let out a frustrated groan and threw a sphere of Chakra at a nearby tree. The tree shook dangerously, as if it were going to fall, but it didn't. An angry squirrel poked its head out of a hole and chattered at me.

"Sorry, squirrel," I said to it. It let out a final angry squeak and ducked back into the hole.

I met Yumi for Ramen, just like I promised. Naruto and another boy were both there. The boy looked exactly like a miniature Guy-sensei.

"My name is Rock Lee. You are the girl who bit my sensei yesterday," Said to boy.

"Right. Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"It was an awesome fight! I saw the whole thing!" Naruto exclaimed, "Right towards the end Hoshi threw a sphere of blue stuff and Tenten just flew backwards. What was that ball? What were ya'll fighting about anyway?"

"Chill, Naruto! Breathe. Don't be so hyper!" Yumi exclaimed. I sent her a look that obviously said _you're one to talk about being hyper _and she grinned at me.

"It was a Chakra sphere. At least, that's what Kakashi-sensei calls them. Neji says they are 100% pure Chakra energy. I can throw them at things now," I said to Naruto.

"That's so cool. I wish I could do that. All I can do is make clones," He replied.

"I could never quite grasp the art of clone-making," I admitted. There was a sort of water-based jutsu that most people in Kirigakure could use to make clones of themselves. Unlike Naruto's shadow clones, however, the water-clones had to stay close to the user.

When we finished eating, which was difficult without the use of my left hand, I followed Yumi back to her house.

"I'm going out tonight," She said brightly as we walked into her room.

"Have fun. I'm going to sleep," I said, heading into Neji's room. She smirked as I walked out, but said nothing.

I paused in the doorway as if I half-expected him to be in the room, but he was not. I collapsed on the bed and pulled his black satin blanket over me. I grabbed his pillow and lay my head on it. I couldn't sleep, and I listened to the sounds of Yumi moving throughout the house until she finally left to go to the club. Then it was silent. I sighed and pressed my face into his pillow. Then I suppose I fell asleep.

The next time I awoke the sun was shining brightly through Neji's bedroom window and I couldn't quite figure out why I had awakened. I was about to go back to sleep when I found what had awakened me.

"Wake up, Hoshi, you're late for training with Kakashi Hatake," Yumi said loudly. I looked up to see her standing above me.

"I don't want to go," I whined.

"Too bad! It's nearly 2:00 in the afternoon and you were supposed to be there four hours ago. He just sent Naruto looking for you and I promised to have you up," She replied.

Less than a half hour later I was out on the practice field, feeling empty. Yumi had pried his pillow away from me.

"You're late, Hoshi," Said Kakashi. He was sitting in the middle of the practice field, reading his book.

"Whatever," I grumbled and sat down in the middle of the field without looking at him.

"Someone's in a bad mood today. Hit a few targets and I'll let you go home. We're going to be working on tracking tomorrow, so you'd better be in a better mood then," Kakashi replied, standing up. I let out a sigh and got to my feet. It wasn't difficult to fight without the use of my left arm, seeing how I always used my jutsu with my right anyway. I hit six targets dead-on and the last four were within pretty close range of the bulls-eye.

"You did good, Hoshi. Since I have a meeting with the Hokage, I will let you go home now," Kakashi said to me.

I left the practice field and wondered what to do next. Now that I was awake I did not particularly feel like going back to sleep. I would have gone to the ramen bar, but I didn't particularly feel like talking to the excessively hyper Naruto.

"Maybe Yumi knows something for me to do," I said aloud.

I walked back to Neji's house and went inside. A little white puppy was sitting in front of Yumi's door, whining pitifully. For some odd reason my brain didn't connect the words 'Akamaru', 'Kiba', and 'Yumi' until I opened the door and found the latter of the two locked at the lips. I stared at them for a moment and then cleared my throat. Yumi and Kiba became aware of me quite suddenly and sprang apart, both blushing furiously. Akamaru bounded into the room, tail wagging happily.

"I didn't see anything," I said, turning around and walking out of the room. I closed the door behind me.

Yumi found me outside a little while later. I was sitting on the ground, playing with a blade of grass. She sat down beside me.

"Hey Hoshi…you won't tell Neji about what you saw in there, will you?" She asked with a guilty grin.

"Of course not…" I replied with a faint smile. A look of relief washed over her face.

"Thanks Hoshi. I totally owe you one," She said, standing up.

"Sure. Where are you going?" I asked her as she started to walk off.

"I have unfinished business with Kiba," She replied slyly.

"Stay out of Neji's room!" I called after her as she skipped off towards the house.

Since I didn't have anything better to do, and I didn't want to interrupt Yumi and Kiba doing…whatever it is they were doing, I went back to the practice field by myself to do some solo training.

I practiced tree-walking and I got farther than I did the last time. It was most likely because my excess Chakra had been used up during my earlier training with Kakashi Hatake. I still wasn't very good and after a few nasty falls that left me bruised, I decided to quit before I accidentally killed myself.

Later that night, as it was getting dark, I went back to Neji's house. Yumi and Kiba were nowhere to be found, thankfully, so I went to Neji's room and sat down on the bed. My left arm was throbbing painfully from where Tenten had gashed me with the shuriken. My recently added assortment of bruises and contusions didn't help, either. I lie down on the bed and tried to relax some. I grabbed Neji's pillow and lay my head down on it before falling asleep.

I awakened myself sometime later, crying. I'd had a dream that bordered on my consciousness for a little while, but when I sat up I couldn't remember it. It seemed ridiculous to be crying and not know why so I swiped my tears away, but I couldn't rid myself of the feeling of sadness and loneliness that plagued me.

I heard the front door open and figured it must be Yumi, coming back from her night of gallivanting across town. I was surprised when the door opened and there stood not Yumi, but Neji.

"Neji-kun!" I cried delightedly. I was on my feet in moments and ran to him, meeting him in an embrace and a kiss that caught him off guard. Not like the little pecks we'd kissed before on forehead and cheeks, but a full make-out session.

We stayed like that for I don't know how long. It could have been hours or days or years even. I was blissfully unaware of the door opening until I heard Yumi.

"Eww! Gross!" She shrieked. I broke away from Neji and sent her a reproachful glance over Neji's shoulder. _You owe me! _I reminded her silently.

"Right. Sorry," She said sheepishly, "I'll pretend I didn't see that."

Yumi left, closing the door behind her, and I kissed Neji again. This time I did not catch him off guard.

"Seems like someone missed me," He said when we broke apart finally.

"You have no idea," I murmured, resting my head against his chest.

"Were you sleeping in my bed?" He asked, walking over to the bed with me.

"…maybe."

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yumi told me I could!" I said defensively.

"It's okay, Hoshi, I don't mind," He said soothingly. He sat down on the bed and I sat down beside him. He picked up his pillow, which was still wet from my dream-tears.

"Why is my pillow wet?" He asked with a smirk.

"…I think I was crying," I said quietly. His smirk faded quickly.

"What were you crying about?" He asked me.

"I don't remember," I replied truthfully.

We were silent for a little while and Neji flipped his pillow over and lay down. I lay down as well and tried to remember my dream.

"I think…I was having a dream about my childhood," I said after a little while.

"Would you like to tell me about it?" Neji asked me. I nodded and began my tale…


	4. Naoshi's Past

"_**When I was young, before I moved to Kirigakure, I lived with my mother and father in a small house, somewhere in Konohagakure. They were both members of the Konoha Military Police Force, which was of course created by the Uchiha clan, and they didn't have a lot of time for me. They were both full Uchiha, but neither of them had ever had their Sharingan activated. I vaguely remember mom telling me that I was going to have a baby brother someday, and he would be able to use Sharingan. Then one day they didn't come home. No one knew where they had gone or why. Everyone had assumed they died, and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle, who already had young Itachi to deal with. Itachi was of course the child prodigy of the Uchiha clan.**_

"_**Miraculously I got along fabulously with Itachi and we were friends for quite sometime. He taught me how to use The Grand Fireball jutsu and was trying to teach me the flamethrower when my aunt found out she was having another baby- Sasuke. So I was sent to live with my Great Aunt in Kirigakure, until she died as well. Then I lived with Shishi. It just seemed like…no one really wanted me. My parents disappeared, Aunt and Uncle sent me to Kirigakure, and then my great Aunt died. I suppose that is why I was crying," I said to Neji. He touched my cheek gently.**_

"_**I'm sorry, Hoshi," He said quietly. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my face away from him.**_

"_**How did your mission-thingy go?" I asked, changing the subject.**_

"_**Fine. We were only helping the Kazekage of Sunagakure get rid of a few rogue ninjas that had been attacking his village," Neji replied.**_

"_**Oh."**_

_**I rested my head on his shoulder, not feeling the need to talk anymore. I was just glad he was home. He was frowning intently.**_

"_**Hoshi, where did you get all of these bruises and cuts?" He asked finally. **_

"_**Training," I replied, looking down at myself. I was pretty much covered in bruises. His face hardened.**_

"_**I'll kill Kakashi," He swore, teeth clenched.**_

"_**It's not Kakashi's fault," I said quickly, "I was trying to tree-walk on my own. Kakashi wasn't even there."**_

"_**Oh. So I guess the tree-walking didn't work out too well for you?" He asked lightly.**_

"_**I did better than last time, only this time there was no one to catch me when I fell," I replied quietly. I closed my eyes as he began to stroke my hair soothingly and before long I had fallen asleep.**_

_**The next morning when I woke up Neji was already awake, waiting for me.**_

"_**You need to get down to the training field. I'm sure Kakashi Hatake is waiting for you," He said when I sat up and stretched. I sighed heavily and Neji smiled slightly.**_

"_**Training is important," He reminded me. I nodded dejectedly and allowed myself to be led down to the training field.**_

_**Kakashi Hatake was sitting in the middle of the field reading like he had been yesterday.**_

"_**Nice to see you're on time today, Hoshi. Thank you, Neji," Kakashi said without looking up.**_

"_**No problem. See you later, Hoshi?" Neji asked me. I reached up and kissed his cheek.**_

"_**Most definitely," I replied as he blushed and looked meaningfully at Kakashi who was looking in the other direction. I rolled my eyes and Neji smiled slightly before walking off the field.**_

"_**How's your arm today, Hoshi?" Kakashi asked, nodding to my left arm.**_

"_**Better," I answered truthfully. It hadn't hurt me…since yesterday.**_

"_**You look pretty banged up. What were you doing yesterday?" He inquired, no hint of a smile.**_

"_**I got bored and practiced tree-walking."**_

"_**How did it go?"**_

"_**Better than before. Are we working on tracking today?" **_

"_**Yes. We're going to have to go to the woods for this," Kakashi said, leading me off the practice fields.**_

_**We went to a place in the middle of the woods and Kakashi stopped.**_

"_**A ninja friend of mine left a trail through here a few hours ago. It starts there and the ninja will be waiting for you at the end of the trail," He said, nodding to the left.**_

"_**Am I to go alone?" I asked.**_

"_**Yes. I'll be back in Konohagakure," Kakashi replied.**_

"_**What happens if I get lost?"**_

"_**that would be inadvisable. Don't get lost and you won't have to worry about it."**_

_**Kakashi disappeared back the way we had come and I turned to where he had pointed. Sticks were bent down slightly as if someone had kneeled there for quite a while. The footprints in the dirt were barely visible, but I was able to follow them for quite a while. Then I was able to follow a trail of broken twigs from every few feet. I was good in the thick underbrush, due to my training in Kirigakure, and if there had been marshes I would have had a major advantage.**_

_**Although there were no marshes I was still able to come to the end of the trail. There was no one at the end, either. The trail just sort of ended… At that moment I spotted the slight scuff marks on the trunk of a tree, just before there was a heavy thud of someone jumping out of a tree right behind me. I whirled around, preparing to use my Chakra spheres, but I froze.**_

"_**Sasuke!" I exclaimed.**_

"_**Hey cousin. Did Kakashi tell me you were supposed to fight me?" He asked lazily. I thought for a moment.**_

"_**No. He just said someone would be waiting for me at the end of the trail," I replied.**_

"_**Good. That means I can go home now. Come on," Sasuke said to me.**_

_**I followed my cousin to Konohagakure without speaking. Sasuke and I rarely spoke. I didn't really know much about him. I'd only seen him a few times when I was allowed to visit Aunt and Uncle, back when I lived in Kirigakure. Even then I still got a long with Itachi better. I had been startled to find out he had killed almost all of our clan…startled but not surprised. Itachi wasn't the most social person on earth, but neither was I. We used to talk a lot when we were little. He was only a few years older than me after all. He even told me that he wished people didn't pay so much attention to him. He loved his little brother, Sasuke, but his father paid him almost no attention at all.**_

"_**Hoshi, what're you thinking about that's so important?" Sasuke asked as I tripped over a branch and fell on my face.**_

"_**I was just thinking…about what Itachi was like before he got all evil," I replied with a sigh. Sasuke looked surprised.**_

"_**Mom once said that…Itachi did things to you," He said quietly.**_

"_**What sort of things?" I asked with a confused frown.**_

"_**Things that weren't very nice," He said mysteriously. **_

"_**I don't remember Itachi ever being anything, but nice to me," I replied with an honest shrug. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as well and I let the subject fade to the very back of my mind.**_

**After my training with Kakashi Hatake I went back to Neji's house only to find he wasn't there. Yumi's bedroom door was closed and she was blaring music. It sounded like the rapper, Eminem, but I wasn't sure which song it was.**

**I knocked on the door loudly and the music was turned down slightly.**

"**come on in. I'm alone!" She called to me through the door. I opened the door to find Yumi laying upside down with her head hanging over the edge of the bed. She looked up at me from her upside down position.**

"**Hey Yumi. I didn't want to walk in on you and Kiba doing…well anything, really," I said with a smirk.**

"Speaking of doing things, you sure seemed happy to see my brother last night," Yumi said, sitting up.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, "You should have knocked."

"I'll be sure and remember that next time," She replied with an 'ick' face.

"So where is the wonderful kisser anyway?" I asked with a smile. She shuddered slightly.

"I don't _ever _want to hear you say that again…and I ain't my brother's keeper," She replied rolling her eyes.

"Well I'm _bored,_" I said with a sigh. Her eyes twinkled mischievously and I knew what was coming next. 

"Yumi, I am _not _going to the club with you," I said before she could ask me.

"Please, Hoshi, you've never even been! How do you know you won't like it?" She demanded.

"Because I can't dance!"

"It's not about dancing, it's about the music…and the guys," She said with a dreamy smile.

"I already have a guy…I think," I replied slowly.

"I'd say you _do _have a guy, seeing as how he didn't do anything to stop you from shoving your tongue down his throat," She said with a wicked grin. I blushed and smiled guiltily.

"Don't worry about my tongue and your brother's throat. Be more worried about Kiba's tongue and where he's gonna stick it next," I retorted jokingly. 

"It's not his tongue I'm worried about," Yumi said pervertedly.

"Eww! Yumi!" I said with a fake gagging noise.

"So are you coming to the club or not?" She asked, changing the subject before we could be any more perverted.

"I guess," I said with a defeated sigh.

Yumi dressed me in clothes that weren't mine. Blue jeans and an extremely short red t-shirt that showed a lot of skin, as well as black leather boots, all of which belonged to her.

"I like the boots," I said truthfully.

"But not the other stuff?" Yumi asked me.

"Not particularly, but I'll wear it if it looks good," I replied.

"Ah well. If you like the boots you can have them. They're too big for me anyway," She said with a shrug.

"Are you trying to say I have big feet?" I asked, punching her in the arm playfully.

"Only if we're using an elephants foot for comparison," She responded jokingly.

It was growing dark outside when we went to the club and there were a lot of people there I didn't know. I tried to hide, but Yumi tried to make me blend. The result was me stuck in the middle of a crowd and having trouble breathing.

"That's Kankuro over there. He tried to shove his tongue down my throat the first time I saw him," Yumi said, nodding to some dude I didn't know.

"Really? What did you do?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the fact that I was having a panic attack because I was stuck in the crowd.

"I bit him," She replied simply.

"Where?" I asked, startled.

"How many places can you bite someone who's trying to shove their tongue down your throat?" Yumi asked as if I were a very dim light bulb. I thought for a moment.

"I honestly don't know. I've never tried shoving my tongue down anyone's throat," I replied truthfully.

"Before last night, you mean," She responded.

"Hey, he met me halfway! Technically speaking, there was no shoving of tongues down throats," I retorted coolly.

"Okay, I don't want to hear about this anymore," She said plugging her ears. I smirked and snatched her hands away from her ears.

A few dudes asked me to dance, but I turned them down. I mostly just listened to the music and talked to Yumi.

"Why did we come here if you're not gonna talk to anyone?" Yumi shouted to me above the blare of the music. 

"I am talking to someone. I'm talking to you, aren't I?" I called back.

"You're so antisocial, Hoshi," Yumi said, rolling her eyes. At that moment she spotted Kiba not far away and disappeared into the crowd.

I suddenly found myself lost in a sea of strangers. I couldn't find Yumi and I didn't see anyone I knew. It felt very stuffy and I looked desperately for an exit. I didn't do well in crowds. I had panic attacks. I knew I shouldn't have come. I couldn't find an exit. Suddenly a familiar hand grabbed my arm and I turned to see Neji standing behind you. I didn't say anything, but one look at me and he knew he had to get me out of there.

The next thing I knew I was outside in the cool night air. I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, calming myself.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked.

"Fine. I just…don't like being around a lot people. Especially if I don't know them. I get nervous and my heart starts pounding…" I said quietly.

"You have panic attacks."

"Yes."

"What were you doing in there, anyway?"

"Your sister took me there. Can we go home now? I don't feel so good…"

I was glad we went back to his house instead of mine. His blankets were softer, for one things, and his room smelled like…well _him _of course. Neji lay on the bed with me and held me close while I still tried to recover from my panic attack.

"You should go change," He said quietly.

"Why?" I asked, startled.

"Because it is hard to find you almost irresistible when you look and smell just like my sister," He whispered in my ear. I got a warm tingly feeling, hopped up quickly, and hurried into Yumi's room to change back into my own clothes. 

"That's better," Neji said when I returned and lay back down.

"I need to go clothes shopping sometime," I said thoughtfully.

"Uh…"

"Don't worry, Yumi can take me," I assured him. He looked relieved and smiled tenderly before kissing me. 

The next morning, Kakashi announced that we wouldn't be training that day or the next day because he and his team were going on a mission. I didn't particularly mind because I had Neji to train with. He and I went for a run before lunch, which we ate at the Ramen Bar. Afterwards, Yumi found me and we went clothes shopping. 

One of my favorite outfits that Yumi picked out was a long-sleeved purple shirt that had black skulls on it. I decided it would look great with the boots she'd given me yesterday. I also bought a few pairs of blue jeans and some more shirts.

We spent most of the afternoon shopping and when we were finally done I had about five bags filled with clothes. I said good-bye to Yumi before heading to my house, not hers. My house was empty when I got there and I made myself something to eat in the kitchen before heading to my bedroom. I put most of my clothes up before trying on my favorite outfit; the shirt with the skulls on it, along with a new pair of blue jeans, and my boots. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror in the hallway and thought I looked pretty good. I was going to take off my new clothes when I heard a knock at the front door. So instead of going back into my bedroom and taking off my new clothes I hurried to the front door, eager to impress my visitor with my new clothes. 

I opened the door enthusiastically and found myself face to face with Neji. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Hey, Neji. What're you doing here?" I asked curiously.

"Hello, Hoshi. Well, when I got home Yumi was in her room blaring music with some of her friends. It was giving me a headache so I came to see what you were doing," He replied.

"Oh. Well would you like to come inside?" I inquired. He nodded and came inside.

I followed him into the rarely-used living room and he sat down on the couch.

"So what were you doing before I came over?" He asked me.

"I was just trying on my new clothes that I got with Yumi. What do you think?" I inquired, turning around so he could see the entire outfit. He smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

"Do you like it?" I prompted.

"Yes I do like it. A lot," Neji replied. His eyes darkened as he pulled me down next to him on the couch and kissed me.

It was a very long and lingering kiss that left me pretty much breathless and made my heart pound wildly. 

"What was that for?" I asked, gasping for breath.

"Just showing you how much I like your outfit," Was his reply. A smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"You must've _really _liked it," I said.

"I can do better," He whispered, kissing me again. 

I was disconcerted by this new side of him, but needless to say it was more than enjoyable on my behalf so I wasn't too unsettled. Still, I wondered where he was going with all of it. 

"Neji, I need a break, I'm gonna suffocate!" I said breathlessly. His smile broadened, but he stopped kissing me. 

"What was that all about?" I asked when I could breathe again. 

"Nothing," He replied quickly. 

"_Something _prompted that… and don't tell me it was the outfit."

He hesitated, no longer smiling.

"I had a talk with your cousin today," He said awkwardly.

"Sasuke? What did you two talk about?" I inquired. He paused again.

"It is difficult to lay down on this couch. Is there somewhere else we may go?" He asked, changing the subject. I sighed, but obligated his request by leading him to my bedroom. He sat down on my bed, kicked his shoes off, and then lay down.

"Now, what did you and Sasuke talk about?" I inquired, laying down beside him. 

"Well you, mostly…you and Itachi," He said reluctantly. I frowned slightly.

"Me and Itachi? What about me and Itachi?" I asked curiously, wondering what could've prompted a conversation about Itachi and myself between my cousin, Sasuke, and my sort-of boyfriend.

"Sasuke said that Itachi…did bad things to you when you were younger…" He said quietly.

"What sort of bad things?" 

"…can't you remember?"

"No. I can only remember Itachi being nice to me when we were younger," I answered honestly.

"Well, Sasuke told me that the reason your Aunt and Uncle made you go to Kirigakure…was because Itachi had done some very unpleasant things to you," Neji said softly. Something connected in my brain and I realized what he was talking about. I squinched my eyes shut as I tried not to recall what I had forced myself to forget. 

"I don't really want to talk about that right now," I said through clenched teeth. 

"Of course not. Hoshi, I'm so sorry. I was just so shocked. It sickened me to think he could've done that to you," He replied softly, pulling me close to him. I very suddenly found myself unable to breathe and I started to sweat. I pulled myself from him and immediately felt better, but I needed to leave.

"Neji, I…can't be around you right now, okay? I can't be near someone. I need to be alone. I'm sorry," I said quickly and I headed for the door.

"It's alright. Hoshi-?" He began. I paused timidly at the doorway, itching to get away.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You know that I would never hurt you, right?" He inquired softly.

"Yes. Of course I know that, I just…I can't be near anyone right now. I need to get out of here for a while and be alone. Okay?"

"Okay."

I hurried out the front door and inhaled the cool night air. I exhaled and began to walk. Out here I could be alone and no one was there to talk to me or make me think about things that happened a long time ago. I felt bad for leaving Neji all alone, but it was better than having to suffer another panic attack because of him. 

As it grew later I grew calmer and as midnight came and went I returned to my house. I was surprised to find Neji had remained and was now sleeping in my bed, just as I had slept in his when he left. I thought, for a moment, about going to the spare bedroom, but then decided I would be okay. I crawled into my bed next to Neji and he opened one eye sleepily.

"Are you better now?" He asked drowsily.

"Yes," I whispered quietly. 

"Good."

He closed his eyes and pulled me close to him, kissing my forehead before falling back asleep. I relaxed slightly and then I fell asleep as well. 

The next morning I awoke to the sound of someone running through my house, calling for me. I opened my eyes blearily and found myself face-to-face with Yumi.

"Hey Hoshi! It was so awesome last night! Kiba came over and Hinata was there and Naruto and Kiba bought me a Vault energy drink and then we all stayed up till about three in the morning and-"

"Yumi! Calm down! How many Vaults have you had?" I demanded of her. She was bouncing up and down in her hyper-activity.

"Oh, I dunno. Not a lot. Maybe like 12 or 13," She replied. She was talking so fast I could barely understand her, but I'm pretty sure she said 13. Neji lifted his head from where he slept beside me, took one look at his hyper sister, and laid his head back down.

"Neji, Kiba gave your sister 13 energy drinks," I said to him.

"Remind me to kill Kiba later," He muttered with his eyes still closed. Yumi was still bouncing up and down like an excited puppy. 

"Yumi, why don't you go outside and burn off some energy?" I suggested.

"Great idea! I'll go run," She said enthusiastically. She darted out of the room so fast that the only way I knew she'd gone was that I heard the door slam shut behind her about two seconds later. I lay back on the bed and Neji looked at me.

"Are you okay this morning?" He asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine."

"Good," He said, then he kissed me. My fingers clutched his shirt instinctively and this urged him to kiss me even harder. I wasn't aware of the fact that I was slipping towards the edge of the bed until I landed on the floor with a painful thud. I let out a muffled yelp as Neji landed on top of me. 

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Just brilliant, but next time- I get the top," I said with a wicked grin. He sighed as he got off of me and helped me up.

"You've been spending too much time with my sister," He said, rolling his eyes at me.

Neji and I went for our morning run and Yumi caught up with us at some point. She still had a lot of energy, too. Kiba was out running with us as well and with him were Akamaru and another white puppy.

"Whose dog is that?" I asked Kiba, nodding to the female puppy that was playing with Akamaru.

"That's my dog, Barlow," Said Yumi from beside me.

"How come I haven't seen her before?" I demanded.

"She spends most of her time with Akamaru," Yumi replied.

We ran until we reached the lake, then we stopped for a rest. Akamaru and Barlow were in the water as soon as they saw it. Kiba let out a bark-like laugh before jumping in as well. Yumi made a move to jump in after him, but Neji snagged her by the sleeve.

"Boots off first, Space Cadet," He said strictly. Yumi looked down at her leather boots and kicked them off before jumping in the water. Neji and I sat down in the grass and watched them swimming and splashing each other.

"Now the whole house is going to smell like wet dog," Neji said loud enough for them to hear, winking at me. 

"Shut up, Destiny Boy!" Yumi shouted from the water. I laughed out loud as she made an attempt to splash him.

"You call that splashing, Space Cadet? Hoshi, show Yumi what a splash really is," Neji said to me. I nodded and took my stance.

"Water style jutsu: Water wall," I said as I performed the hand seals that completed the jutsu. I lifted some of the water out of the lake, formed a wall with it, and dumped it on Yumi, Kiba, Akamaru, and Barlow. They were tossed backwards and all of them disappeared under the water for a moment before resurfacing. 

"No fair, Neji, you can't use your girlfriend's jutsu as a means of splashing us!" Yumi said after she spat the water from her mouth. Neji caught my eye and smiled when Yumi called me his girlfriend, and I looked away, blushing.

"Well I haven't seen Dog Boy do anything that useful," He called back to her. 

"Leave Dog Boy outta this, right Akamaru?" Kiba asked the puppy. Akamaru barked his agreement. 

"And stop calling him Dog Boy! Don't you two have to go make out in the woods now or something?" Yumi asked crossly. I blushed again and Neji took my hand.

"Sound like a good idea to me," He said.

When we returned to Konohagakure we were being frantically searched for by an over-hyper Naruto.

"There you guys are, you've been gone all morning!" Naruto exclaimed when we emerged from the woods.

"Calm down, Naruto. What do you want?" Neji asked him.

"The Hokage has been looking for you- all of you," He replied enthusiastically.

"Why does she want all of us?" Yumi asked, surprised. 

"I dunno. Some sort of a mission. Come on," Naruto said. The four of us looked at each other curiously before following Naruto towards Lady Tsunade's office.

She was sitting behind her desk when we entered, but she didn't look very cross.

"So, there you all are. Good job locating them, Naruto," Said Lady Tsunade.

"We apologize, Lady Tsunade. We were out training," Neji said on behalf of all of us. 

"It's fine. The reason I called you all here is because our allies in Kirigakure have been having some problems with rogue ninjas attacking travelers around their village. They request out help. Since Kakashi, Guy, Sasuke, and the others are all either out on missions or severely injured thanks to worthless fights-" She said, looking meaningfully at me. She meant Tenten, of course, who was still unable to fight. I lowered my head and would not meet her eyes.

"- you five are the only ninjas in the village that I am able to send to aid Kirigakure," She continued.

"Isn't that on water? How will we get there?" Naruto asked. At that moment I thought him very dim.

"On a _boat, _Naruto," I said slowly. How else could one get to the Village Hidden in the Mist? It was an island, after all!

"Oh right. So when do we leave?" Naruto asked.

"Tomorrow. Neji, you'll be squad leader. The boat leaves from the harbor at dawn so be awake and ready before then," Said the Hokage. 

"Yes, Hokage," We all said in unison.

As soon as we were out of her office and back outside I started to freak out.

"I can't go to Kirigakure, Neji! Shishi will be there and the Mizukage and all the people that I know and there'll be Hunter-nin there and my postural be plastered on every wall you see and-" I was cut off as Neji held up his hand.

"Relax, Hoshi. Breathe. You're worse than Space Cadet when Kiba buys her energy drinks," Neji said calmly.

"Hey!" Yumi protested.

"We'll be sure and disguise you good before we even get on the boat tomorrow. We'll use Genjutsu to make you look completely different, to the untrained eye, and hopefully that'll be enough to get you through Kirigakure safely," Neji continued, ignoring Yumi's protestation at being used as an example.

"But what if it doesn't work?" I asked softly, "What if I get caught?"

"You won't get caught. It will work. And if it doesn't… I'll fight all of Kirigakure for you," He whispered in my ear. I blushed and lowered my eyes.

"Thank you, Neji. I hope you won't have to fight all of Kirigakure, though," I replied, then I kissed his cheek.

"Okay, time to go home now," Yumi said, snatching me away from her brother. I wrenched my arm away from her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yumi," Kiba said to her, and he kissed her.

"Hey! Don't kiss my sister in front of me!" Neji scoffed. 

"What, Hoshi can kiss you, but Kiba can't kiss me?" Yumi demanded.

"I don't care where he kisses you, Space Cadet, as long as I don't see it," Neji retorted. Yumi and Kiba shared a mischievous look and began to walk off together. Neji realized what he'd said only a moment too late.

"Hey! Wait I take that back! No kissing! Come back here!" Neji said, and started to chase after them. I snagged his arm and held him back.

"Let them go. What's the worst that could happen?" I said with a shrug.

"Well for one-"

"Never mind. Just don't even say it. Let's go…wherever," I said vaguely. 

We ended up going to his house and we weren't the least bit surprised to find that Yumi was not there. Neji seemed agitated.

"I guess she's spending the night at Kiba's house," I said when we looked in to find her room empty. Neji let out an exasperated grunt.

"She's just a kid. She doesn't need to be off doing all that…" He said.

"She's not a kid anymore, Neji. Like it or not, she's about the same age as I am," I said to him.

"I don't care how old she is. She's still my little sister," He protested.

"Well, regardless, I think Kiba is an okay guy. I don't think he would do anything to upset you, as far as Yumi goes," I replied calmly. 

"He'd better not," Neji muttered.

"Come on. Let's forget about them. We need to get some sleep if we have to leave at dawn…and someone has to fix me up with some Genjutsu," I said with a smile. 

By the next morning I no longer bore even the slightest resemblance to my former Naoshi Uchiha identity. My eyes were now green instead of purple and my hair was an eerie whitish-silver color. I wore black jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt that contrasted my appearance perfectly. 

"Do I look okay?" I asked anxiously as we waited for our ship at the harbor.

"You look great," Naruto said enthusiastically. Neji simply glanced at me.

"You don't look like Hoshi anymore," He said simply before looking away again.

"You look fine," Yumi assured me, "No need to worry."

Regardless of their confidence, I still worried. When the ship came and the crew stared at me awestruck, I thought it was because they might've recognized me. When the boy carrying our luggage nearly dropped it when he saw me, I thought it was because he knew who I was. When the waiter who brought us lunch dropped a bowl of rice on Naruto's head when he saw me, I thought he had spotted a flaw in my disguise that would give me away. I spent the rest of my afternoon hiding in my cabin, trying to avoid people.

I was listening to Yumi's CD player when there was a knock on my door. I took off my headphones, heart pounding, and opened the door. It was only Neji.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I exclaimed, moving aside to let him in.

"Why are you hiding in here?" Neji asked me, looking around.

"Because, people kept staring at me. …I don't want anyone to recognize me," I muttered. He looked at me appraisingly for a moment.

"They aren't staring because you look like Naoshi Uchiha, Hoshi, they're staring because you look… _beautiful_," He said finally. I blushed at the sincerity in his voice. 

"Oh," I said awkwardly. I kind of felt like an idiot and I didn't know what to do now. Neji kissed me on the forehead and then took my hand.

"Come up to the top deck with me," He said quietly. 

It was already nighttime when we got up there and the top deck was deserted. The moon was reflecting off of the waves and the stars were brighter than I had ever seen them.

"The stars are so beautiful," I said in awe, looking up as I leaned on the rail of the boat.

"They always are over the ocean because there's nothing to block their view. Didn't you see them when you left Kirigakure?" Neji asked me.

"No. I was hiding amongst the luggage so no one would find me. I couldn't work up enough Genjutsu to make a good disguise so I hid," I admitted.

"Well, now you don't have to hide. No one will be looking for you amongst the ninja from the leaf village," He said reassuringly. 

"I hope not. I wouldn't want you to fight all of Kirigakure for me," I said jokingly. 

"Do you think I would be able to do it?" He asked seriously. 

"Truthfully? No… the ninja of Kirigakure are trained to be ruthless killers. I think you'd be able to finish off half the village, with help, but in the end, you'd be annihilated," I replied quietly, "Even if you are the strongest ninja in Konohagakure."

"Well, then, it's a good thing they're our allies," Neji said, staring out over the water.


	5. The Village hidden in the Mist

The voyage to Kirigakure took a few days, and seemed even longer than that. I spent most of my days hiding in my room and at night I would meet Neji on the top deck and we would talk and look out over the water.

"Look, Neji, Dolphins!" I said, delighted. It was our last night on the boat and we were standing together, holding hands.

"It means we're getting closer to land," He said, watching the blue-grey creatures jumping out of the water, "There are sea turtles, too."

I leaned closer to the edge and peered out over the water. Three green sea turtles were gliding through the water.

"Wow!" I cried, delighted. I bent even closer to get a better luck. I let out a shriek as I slipped. I braced myself for the impact of cold water and was surprised when I didn't hit it. I opened my eyes to see that Neji had grabbed me right before I fell into the water. I was now dangling dangerously close to the water.

"You're alright. I've got you," He said difficultly, pulling me up with both hands. The next thing I knew I was sprawled safely on the deck, panting heavily.

"You're a magnet for disaster, Hoshi," Neji said, helping me to my feet.

"I know. Thank you, Neji. I think it would have hurt to fall in that water. It's cold," I said quietly.

"It was nothing, Hoshi, I would've done it for anyone-"

I broke of his sentence with a hug which startled him. I laughed and kissed him.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear. He blushed faintly and I giggled before kissing him again.

The next morning we arrived in Kirigakure. I followed my companions off the boat and laughed when they were surprised because of the heavy mist.

"Is it always this misty?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"Well it _is _called the Village Hidden in the Mist, Naruto," I said to him.

"You kids should let us show you were the village is. You'll never find it in this mist unless you know where it is," Said one of the boat-workers. He was a creepy-looking guy with a grungy beard who looked like he might be a mass murderer.

"No thanks, I know where the village is," I said coolly.

"You've been there before?" Asked the man skeptically.

"A few times."

"You don't _look _familiar…" He said suspiciously.

"Looks can be deceiving," I replied. I led me friends into the mist, leaving the creepy guy behind to wonder who I was. I wasn't worried about him. He'd never figure out who I was.

I led everyone on unseen paths in the mist that I knew were there. Shishi had taught me all the paths when I was little. I noticed that Neji was using his Byakugan consistently.

"What are you doing, Neji?" I asked him.

"I don't like not knowing whether or not someone is coming. My Byakugan can penetrate even the thickest of fogs," He replied absently.

"That's amazing…But it's not fog," I said after a moment.

"What?"

"It's mist. It comes off of the lakes and marshes around here. Can't you see them?" I inquired.

"Of course. I just didn't know there was a difference between fog and mist," He replied.

"Well if you grow up here- …wait a minute. Quiet. Someone's coming," I whispered.

"What, how can you tell?" Naruto whispered back. I pointed to my ears to indicate I could hear the approacher.

"Greetings, From Kirigakure. Are you the ninja from Konohagakure?" Called a somewhat familiar voice. It was my old sensei, Shishi.

"Yes, we are the ninja from Konohagakure," Neji called back. Shishi emerged from the mist and became visible to us. His long, black hair was tied behind his back and his bright blue eyes surveyed us all thoroughly.

"My name is Shishi Kuni. I'm here to show you to the village and take you to the Mizukage," Shishi said to us.

"Your guidance is welcome, Shishi Kuni. I am Neji Hyuuga, and these are my companions: Naruto Uzumaki, Hoshi, Kiba, and my sister, Yumi," Neji said to my old sensei.

"Follow me, please," Said Shishi without so much as a second glance at me. We all followed Shishi through hidden paths that I could have found with my eyes closed. When we got to the village, the mist cleared and we could see the beauty of Kirigakure. Lakes served as training fields and many ninja were out practicing or simply swimming. None of them were as fast as I was, for none of them knew the secrets of the currents that only my sensei could teach.

Shishi led us to the house of the Mizukage. We entered to find he was sitting at his desk, eating a bowl of rice and talking to the man in charge of all the ninja from Kirigakure, Sungato Meno.

"Ah, these must be the ninja from Konohagakure," Said the Mizukage.

"Yes. They are Neji Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki, Hoshi, Kiba, and Yumi," Said Shishi, pointing to us each in turn.

"Welcome. We are glad lady Tsunade lent you to us to get rid of this pesky problem who has been attacking travelers on our roads. We are at war right now and all of our ninja are training endlessly. Even the hunter-ninja have been called from their regular duties. We really didn't have anyone to spare to go take care of the rogue ninja," the Mizukage said.

"We'll try our best," Neji said to him.

"Shishi can show you all where you'll be staying tonight and tomorrow he can take you to the road where the rouge ninja was last spotted. After that you're on your own," Said the Mizukage.

Shishi led us away from the Mizukage's house and to a small house that was sort of like an apartment.

"I'll be here at dawn to show you where the rogue ninja was last spotted," Shishi said, then he left.

"Man, I could've killed that Mizukage guy! Actin' like Kirigakure has better ninja than Konohagakure," Naruto growled, his fists clenched.

"Kirigakure _does _have better ninja than Konohagakure. …and I wouldn't say that too loud about the Mizukage. He's one of the most respected men in the village, including Sun," I retorted.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on our side! Besides, there's no way _you _could beat _me _in a battle," Naruto proclaimed.

"I'm a poor example. I was only raised in Kirigakure, not born here. Just wait until you see the real ninja practicing," I replied as we walked into the house.

There were only two rooms in the apartment so it seemed logical for the boys to get one room and Yumi and I got the other. Unfortunately, it was not practical and Neji soon came into my room and Yumi made her way to the boys room. A mattress in the middle of the floor was the only thing that served as a bed and Neji lay down with me.

"Your old sensei didn't seem very happy," Neji commented as we lay there.

"I think he's being punished for losing me," I replied quietly. At that moment the door opened and Naruto stood there with a blanket in one hand and a pillow in the other.

"Kiba and Yumi took over my room. I'm gonna bunk on the couch," He said, thoroughly disgusted.

"Have fun with that," I said coolly. Naruto grunted and shut the door behind him.

The next morning, before dawn, I went in to awaken Yumi and Kiba. They were snuggled up close together with Akamaru and Barlow curled up at their feet. Truthfully, they were really cute and I didn't want to wake them up, but I knew if Neji saw them he wouldn't like it.

"Psst! Wake up you guys!" I hissed into the room. Yumi opened one blue eye and glanced at me groggily.

"Five more minutes," She grumbled, burying her face in Kiba's chest.

"Not five more anything! Neji will be in here if you don't get up and I don't think you want him to see you like this," I said warningly.

"Like what? We're just sleeping!" Exclaimed Kiba, waking up.

"Yeah, but it doesn't look that way," I responded. I flipped on the light switch and they both covered their eyes against the brightness.

"Rise and shine," I said loudly. They both groaned and drug themselves out of bed.

Feeling very pleased with myself I went into the kitchen where Neji sat, drinking tea with a very disgruntled Naruto. I walked silently over to Neji and he handed me a cup of tea. I kissed his cheek lightly and I sat down beside him.

"Shishi will be here soon," He said as I began to drink my tea. Yumi and Kiba walked in just then, not looking pleased with me for waking them up. Neji surveyed them silently and I could tell he disapproved by the way his teeth clenched ever so slightly, but he didn't say anything.

A knock on the door interrupted the awkward silence that issued as Kiba fixed a cup of tea for Yumi and himself. I opened the door to find Shishi standing there, looking more than slightly depressed. His eyes had dark circles beneath them and his hair had lost it's shinny look that it'd had before I left Kirigakure.

"Wow, you don't look so good," Said Naruto from where he sat at the table. I saw Neji step on his foot very discreetly for being rude.

"Well, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," Replied Shishi as I let him inside.

"Why not?" Naruto asked, not at all discouraged by Neji's reprimand.

"…One of my students disappeared a few weeks ago, Naoshi Uchiha. I can't help but feel it was my fault that she left," He said quietly.

"Why would it be your fault?" I asked without looking at him.

"I pushed her too hard. She was… different than the others. Not weaker, exactly, but she got exhausted too easily. She also had a very high threshold for pain. …and now the Hunter-ninja are looking for her because she's considered a traitor to Kirigakure," Shishi said worriedly.

"I thought the Hunter-ninja were fighting in the war," Neji said calmly.

"Well yes…there is that. I still can't help but worry. What if something happened to her and it's my fault? I would feel so awful…" Shishi moaned. I felt bad that Shishi was so worried about me, but I couldn't say anything.

"I think if she is as capable a ninja as you claim, nothing will happen to Naoshi," Yumi said reassuringly to Shishi. Shishi simply nodded miserably.

"I shouldn't be telling you all this. Come. You have a rogue ninja to find," He said quickly.

Shishi led us to the beginning of one of the hidden paths in the mists.

"Now, it may be difficult for you to find your way, but if you keep your eyes pointed downward you can see the road," He said when we stopped. We all looked down to see the dirt road that could barely be seen through the mist.

"We'll be fine," I assured him. Shishi smiled slightly before walking in the direction from which we'd come.

"come on, guys, lets go," I said, leading them down the path. My friends followed without dispute and, though I couldn't see anything, I felt Neji take my hand in his reassuringly.

"Keep an eye out with your Byakugan," I said quietly.

"I am."

I kept my Sharingan activated, but I could see no Chakra other than what was emanating from my skin.

"Ahead and to the left. What do you see?" Neji whispered to me. I squinted, using my Sharingan, and saw what I thought was a tree.

"A tree?" I inquired.

"No."

"Not a tree?"

"An illusion. It's pure Chakra energy," Neji replied.

"Then where is the-"

My sentence was broken off as something slammed hard into my back, knocking me to the ground. I was sprawled on the ground with the wind knocked out of me.

"Hoshi!" Neji shouted. There was a loud thud as Neji punched my attacker dead in the nose. From what I could see, which wasn't much, my attacker leapt back onto his feet. Instead of attacking Neji he came at me. His face was covered with a mask and he wore all black clothes.

"You, girl, what is your name?" Demanded the attacker. I didn't respond. I couldn't respond, because I couldn't breathe.

"Who are you? Where are you from? Answer me!" Shouted the attacker.

"Leave her alone! She can't breathe, much less answer your questions!" Neji said fiercely as he slammed into my attacker again. This time he kept him pinned to the ground and I was able to gather enough strength to get up and help restrain my attacker. He caught a glimpse of my face as I struggled with him and the attacker froze.

"You! You are the one I have been searching for! Your name- Is it Naoshi Uchiha?" He demanded. The fact that he knew my name startled me.

"Naoshi Uchiha is long gone. That person no longer exists. I am Hoshi, of Konohagakure," I replied coolly.

"But you were once Naoshi Uchiha. The girl with purple eyes and black hair," He proclaimed, attempting to sit up. Neji held him down forcefully.

"How could you possibly know her eyes are purple? My Genjutsu is flawless," He growled. The attacker freed one of his arms and pulled off his mask, revealing two red eyes, each with three tomoe.

"I have Sharingan, you idiot," Said the attacker. I grabbed his freed hand and forced it down again especially hard since I did not like the fact that he called Neji an idiot.

"Who are you? There are only three of the Uchiha clan left and you are not one of them," I said angrily, but confused at the same time.

"you were once Naoshi Uchiha," Repeated my attacker, "You were once my sister."

His response hit me like a blow to the head and I could do nothing but stare at him.

"There's no way you're her brother," Yumi said, staring blankly at the ninja.

"Hoshi, didn't you say your mother was pregnant when she…disappeared?" Neji asked quietly. I nodded numbly and sat down on the ground with a quiet thud, releasing the boy.

"My name is Mashi Uchiha," Said the boy, sitting up now that we had released him.

"What do you think Hoshi? Is he your bother?" Neji asked, taking my hand gently. I took a deep breath and tried to think rationally.

"Well, he looks to be about the right age…and he does resemble my father," I said slowly.

"Nando. And our mother's name was Yoshi," Mashi inputted quickly.

"I think…I think he is my brother," I admitted.

"Told ya so!" Mashi said triumphantly, brushing his hair back behind his ears.

"Well, if you are my brother, then my parents…our parents are still-?"

"No. They are dead. They died a few years ago when the hunter-ninja found them. They _did _desert Konohagakure, after all," Mashi replied quietly.

"Konohagakure?" I asked, confused.

"That's where you were born, sis. Before I was born," He said with a smile.

"But…why? Why did they leave me?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice from breaking.

"I can't answer that question, Naoshi," He answered gravely.

"You must call me Hoshi. There are hunter-ninja after me as well," I said stiffly.

"Of course, Hoshi."

"Why have you been attacking travelers?"

"Looking for you."

"Why?"

"Well you're my sister! I guess I just wanted to meet you," He said sheepishly. For the first time I saw him for what he truly was- just a little kid. An orphan, like myself. If he was looking for someone to take care of him, he'd come to the wrong place.

"Do you have a place to live? Someone to take care of you?" I asked Mashi.

"Yes. I'm living with my sensei in Sunagakure," He said quietly.

"Good. Go home, kid. I don't know why you came here. I'm not Naoshi Uchiha anymore," I said coldly. I turned my back on his shocked, sad face and I walked back towards Kirigakure. My friend followed only because they couldn't have found their ay back otherwise, but they all stared at me in silent disapproval, all except Neji who refused to look at me, but still held my hand firmly within his own.

When we got back to Kirigakure I went into my room, shut the door, and sat down on the mattress. The door was reopened moments later by Neji. He said nothing, but sat down cross-legged beside me.

"I shouldn't have been so mean to him," I admitted with a sigh.

"Perhaps not. …But I think I can understand. Mashi represents a part of your past. The life you were forced to leave behind," Neji replied slowly.

"And the only conclusion I can come to is that my parents abandoned me. If not for Mashi, then because I did something wrong. My parents abandoned me, my Aunt and Uncle sent me away, my grandmother died, and I was sent to Shishi. None of those people really wanted me," I said, trying not to sound sad, but my voice broke at the end.

"_I _want you Hoshi. We all want you in Konohagakure with us. I…I _need _you in Konohagakure with me," he said squeezing my hand gently. I knew if Yumi were here she'd interpret that the 'wrong way' because she has a perverted mind, but I knew he didn't mean it _that way. _

"What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused.

"You bring out the best in me, Hoshi. When I'm around you I can't help but smile. Your beautiful awkwardness makes me laugh, like when we you fell out of the tree when we first met. Even Yumi was surprised then when I did not reprimand you for your lack of Chakra control. I was laughing on the inside, after I made sure you were okay," Neji said. I looked away, embarrassed and surprised at his sincerity. I wanted to tell him I felt the same way. I wanted to say I thought I loved him. …but I didn't know what to say. What he had said was more like poetry than spoken words. Anything that I had to say paled in comparison. Then again I'd never been good at all the icky love stuff anyway.

"You've left me out on a limb here, Neji. What you said was beautiful and now…I don't know what to say," I said quietly. He laughed softly and pulled me closer to him.

"You don't have to say anything. Just promise you won't leave me," He whispered in my ear.

"I won't if you won't," I replied.

"I will never leave you," He promised.

We were silent for a long time and I was enjoying his company. Then he spoke.

"Now, Hoshi, I would like to say something. You might not like it, but mull it over and you'll find it's true," He said quietly.

"Is this one of those 'destiny' things" I asked curiously.

"Am I really that predictable?" He asked with a slight smirk.

"Just say whatever it is," I replied, smiling.

"Well, Hoshi, what you said to Mashi a while ago- about you not being Naoshi Uchiha anymore? That's not true. You may not look like her or act like her, but on the inside you still are. It is who you were born to be. Deny it all you want, but if you look deep enough you'll find it's true."

Neji had given me a lot to think about, so I went for a walk around Kirigakure. I wandered aimlessly around the training fields and the other various lakes. I wondered what he had meant about me being Naoshi Uchiha on the inside, but I didn't dwell on it too much. He had said that he wanted me…that he _needed _me. I had never been wanted or needed by anyone before and just the memory of him saying that made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

I found myself watching the training of a young boy whom I didn't recognize. He looked to be about 10 years old and he was being trained by Sungato. His training was intense, but he was a strong kid. They noticed me watching and walked over.

"Hello," Said the little boy pleasantly.

"Hi. My name's Hoshi," I said to him.

"My name's Kenai," He replied.

"Well, Hoshi…what advice does the village of Konohagakure have to offer," said Sun with a smirk.

"I can't speak on the behalf of my village, but Kenai seems like a very capable ninja. He looks so young…but so _strong_," I said, letting my impression show.

"Thank you. I'm only 9 years old and I can beat my father in a fight," Kenai said proudly.

"But you're not strong enough. That's why you've got to keep training!" Sun said strictly.

"Is Kenai your son?" I asked, mildly interested.

"Yep, though you couldn't hardly tell it from appearance or behavior," Sun replied, scowling at Kenai. I had known Sun for years and I thought he was being way to tough on his son. He'd never been that tough with any of his students. I wanted to know why he was he so tough on the little guy.

"I don't think you're giving Kenai enough credit. I'll bet he could beat any ninja from Konohagakure," I said to Sun.

"Oh yeah? Well I'll take you up on that bet. I want Kenai to battle that big guy that came with you into the Mizukage's office," He replied.

"Which big guy?" I asked, thinking immediately of Neji, who was the tallest out of all of us; Kiba who was the strongest of us; and Naruto, who was pretty much just big around the middle from eating so much.

"I dunno, the big one. And let's keep this on the down-low," Sun said impatiently.

"The one with the silver eyes?" I inquired, also growing impatient with his irrationality.

"No!" He said in a voice that _sounded _like he was insulting my sort-of boyfriend…but he wouldn't be dumb enough to do _that _would he?

"The one that had the red things on his face…the dog-boy," Sun said arrogantly.

"Alright, Sun, you're on," I said angrily, "Kenai versus Kiba at sunrise tomorrow!"

"Good. We'll meet at the Hazy Pond tomorrow morning," He said with a wicked grin.

"The…Hazy Pond?!" I yelped.

"Yes. That's not a problem, is it _Hoshi? _That's where most battles in this town are held. You wouldn't know that, being from _Konugkure?_" He said snootily. It sounded like he was implying something he couldn't possibly know to be true. He couldn't know who I really was…could he? An impatient cough interrupted my thoughts and I was reminded suddenly of my position.

"It's _Konohagakure_!" I spat at him for getting the name wrong, "and I'll see you at sunrise."

I stomped away from the training field, leaving behind Sun, who looked smug; and Kenai, who looked confused. I turned a corner down the street and ran slam into Neji.

"Ah, Hoshi. There you are. What have you been doing?…you look angry," Neji remarked when he saw it was me. It was then that I realized what I'd done. I'd made a promise to someone that Kiba would crush their kid without even consulting him! I'd gotten so caught up in the heat of the fight that I forgot that I should ask Kiba first. God, I was such an idiot!

"Hoshi? You look like you're having a solo conversation there," Neji said with a faint smile.

"I…I think I just did something very stupid," I said blankly.

"What?" He asked, bewildered.

"well, I caught up with Sun, who's like the head ninja of Kirigakure…"

I told Neji the entirety of what happened and tried to describe it accurately.

"…So you agreed for Kiba to beat the snot out of a nine-year-old?" He asked disbelievingly when I'd told him everything.

"Yep," I said, feeling completely horrible, "And the worst part is, the place he mentioned- the Hazy Pond? It's against the rules of Kirigakure to even go _near _that place!"

"Why?" Neji asked me.

"The mist there is _absolutely_ impossible to see through. You can't hear anything because there are frogs there and bugs that chirp constantly. Hazy Pond is more like a marsh that's almost completely gone so it's not really mist- it's haze," I said promptly.

"Well…Hoshi, why on Earth didn't you say something?" He asked blankly.

"Because if I was from Konohagakure I wouldn't know that. I'd be easily fooled into thinking that it _was _the place that all battles were held in Kirigakure," I explained.

"I see. Well, all we can do now is ask Kiba and hope he will do it," Neji said.

I walked back to the house with Neji, keeping my head down. He was angry with me, I could tell, but he wasn't going to say anything. We walked into the house and I went down the hall to Yumi's room. I knocked twice and there was no answer.

"Yumi? You in here?" I called and knocked again. There was still no answer, so I opened the door. Big mistake.

Kiba and Yumi were there, sitting on the bed. They were locked at the lips, kissing passionately. Her hands were clenched in his hair and he was clutching the front of her shirt.

"Hey, Hey! Do I have to spray water on you two to keep you from going at it like that?" I said, clapping my hands to get their attention. They sprang apart and both staggered backwards.

"Don't tell Neji!" Yumi pleaded immediately. I didn't have to say anything because at that moment Neji appeared behind me.

"Don't tell me wha-?" His question broke off as he looked at Yumi and Kiba's slightly indisposed appearance. Her hair was sticking out wildly and the front of his shirt still had wrinkles in it. Neji's face hardened, he closed his eyes, and walked out of the room. Yumi and Kiba both blushed and I hurried after Neji.

"Where are you going?" I asked, following him out of the house.

"To pretend I'm blind," He said, covering his eyes.

"Trust me, it'd be worse for you if you saw what _I _just saw," I said as I caught up with him.

"What did _you _see?"

"Yumi and Kiba, locked in a passionate kiss-"

"No wait, I don't want to hear it!" He said, locking his hands over his ears. I smiled and fell silent. He uncovered his ears and we walked into the living room.

"I don't want to say anything because Yumi's been good about not saying anything about the other day when she caught us…" Neji said as we walked past Naruto who was laying on the sofa.

"I don't think Yumi _cares _that she caught us kissing," I said, recalling her carefree attitude. I smiled and Neji blushed as we both remembered the night.

"Okay, ya'll are totally grossing me out! I'm trying to sleep!" Naruto complained. He grabbed his pillow and left the room. Neji and I both laughed, mutually pleased that we had grossed-out Naruto.

"You want me to fight a kid?!" Kiba demanded when I told him a while later.

"He's a strong kid, Kiba. You might not be able to beat him," I said seriously.

"He'll crush that kid!" Yumi said, mortified.

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to get us into all this," I said, hanging my head.

"All _what _exactly?" Yumi asked.

"Well, you see, I sort of agreed to let the battle take place at the Hazy Pond," I muttered quietly.

"What's a Hazy Pond?" Kiba asked.

After explaining what the Hazy Pond was, Kiba didn't look so worried.

"So, it's just a little foggy?" He asked with a grin.

"No. It's not fog. It's haze," I said coolly.

"Is all of Kirigakure so obsessive about getting the names of gaseous substances right, or is it just you?" Neji asked me with a faint smile.

"So the air is a little thick. So what?" Kiba asked with a shrug.

"No. Remember the mist on the roads? -that's a 'little thick' …the haze over the Hazy Pond is about ten times worse. It was forbidden by a town that trains in mist as thick as pea soup," I said. Everyone looked at each other a bit perplexed.

"Well, guess I really don't have a choice but to fight this kid," Kiba said a little reluctantly.

"Good. I'm telling you he's a strong kid! You'll need to get some rest tonight. Kenai will be difficult for you to beat," I said quietly.

"Well, if I need to rest you might want to keep Yumi out of my room," Kiba said jokingly.

"Hey! No fair! He's only nine-years-old, you and Akamaru can take him out with one hit!" Yumi protested quickly.

"I was only joking, Yumi," He said with a smile, "I wasn't _really _going to kick you out of my room."

Shish brought us food later on and thanked us for ridding the village of the rogue ninja. I supposed my brother was gone for good. We ate rice and dumplings and again I noticed Neji watching me intently.

"What?" I asked, looking at him.

"Your arm. You still have not regained the full use of it?" Neji asked, nodding to my left hand. The bandages had been removed a few days ago and now only a nasty-looking scar remained of my battle with Tenten.

"It's getting better," I replied quietly.

"Hoshi, you're dropping rice all over yourself and you've been trying to grab that same dumpling for the past five minutes," He said exasperatedly. I looked down at my clothes which were covered with rice and then looked to the dumpling on my plate. I held my chopsticks together and stabbed the dumpling straight through the middle and carried it to my mouth.

"I'm fine," I said defensively to Neji, "I can still eat."

"What about the rice?" He asked with a faint smile. I stared intently at the new challenge. Rice couldn't be speared with chopsticks…but maybe I could eat with my right hand?

I took the chopsticks in my right hand and tried to lift up the rice. It worked only slightly better than my left.

"There, see? I can do it!" I said triumphantly through a mouthful of rice.

"Yes, I can see it. Close your mouth while you're chewing please," Neji said quietly. I closed my mouth and swallowed.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly and he smiled.

Later that night as we lay in bed, trying to sleep, Neji rolled over to face me.

"What's wrong, Hoshi?" He asked, slightly groggily. His voice startled me. I had thought him to be asleep.

"Nothing….I'm just a little worried is all," I replied quietly.

"About the little boy?"

"About Kiba _and _Kenai. It's difficult to battle in the Hazy Pond…I don't want either of them to get hurt."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. If they fall in we can pull them out," He responded, still sounded groggy.

"How? It's hazy!"

"Sharingan and Byakugan can see through anything," He replied. Then he fell asleep again. Comforted by his words, I, too, went to sleep.

The next morning Naruto, Neji, Yumi, Kiba, Akamaru, and myself all met Shishi and Kenai at the Hazy Pond.

"I didn't know you were bringing all of Konohagakure with you," Shishi grumbled as I walked over to him.

"We're Konoha, Creepy Old Dude. If you want one of us, you get all of us," Yumi said hotly. Inwardly I applauded her and reminded myself to complement her on her response later.

"Yumi, Be nice," Kiba said to her, but he couldn't help smiling.

"Well right now, he's the only _Kenoba _I'm worried about," Sun said, pointing to Kiba.

"It's Konoha! Get it right, or you'll be walking with a permanent limp!" Yumi growled threateningly.

"Did we come here to battle, or to make idle threats?" Sun retorted. Kiba and I both grabbed Yumi's arm just in time to stop her from launching herself at the old man.

"Easy, Space Cadet. Do you need to go back to the house?" Neji asked her seriously. She took a few deep breaths and relaxed slightly.

"Naw. I'm good," Yumi said calmly.

We all looked out over the pond. Thick, yellow haze floated above the foul-smelling water and mud.

"do we really have to battle in _that?_" Kenai asked Sun, disgusted.

"Shut up!" Sun said, slapping Kenai across the face. Kenai let out a surprised yelp and fell to the ground. Sun looked revolted.

"Hey!" I shouted, knocking Sun's hand away as he tried to slap Kenai again. Sun stood up tall and said nothing.

The battle started with Kenai and Kiba at opposite ends of the pond. They could barely be seen with the naked eye so Neji and I reverted to using our Bloodline traits. Using my Sharingan I was able to follow them quite easily and predict the moves they were going to use. Akamaru stood loyally beside Kiba and little Kenai stood alone. I could see Kenai's hands forming the hand seals and I wasn't surprised when he used _Mokuton, _a sort of jutsu that combined Earth and water-based Chakra. I watched as a tree that glowed with Chakra energy sprung out of the ground. Kiba was blind to his movements as Kenai leapt onto the tree and got closer to him. I observed as Kenai used a sort of taijutsu called Ferocious Fist. He knocked Kiba to the ground, and if Kenai had been a little bigger he might've broken a few bones.

"This is going to be an interesting battle," I whispered to Neji as Kiba got back on his feet.

The battle lasted for a little more than an hour until Kiba finally called it quits.

"I can't beat this kid…and I can't see or smell a damned thing! Where's the exit?" Kiba called out to us.

"Hold on a moment, Kiba, I'll come find you," I said, glad that he had forfeited…it meant that I was right. Using my Sharingan I was able to find Kiba and Akamaru through the haze by locating their Chakra levels. I also found Kenai, who couldn't see good either.

"That was some pretty cool jutsu," Kiba said to Kenai.

"Thank you. I liked the way you and your dog did that two-headed thing. It was wicked awesome," Kenai said enthusiastically as I led them through the haze. I was glad Kiba was being a good sport about not being able to beat the kid. He looked pretty beat up, but he was smiling.

"Double Headed Wolf," Kiba corrected automatically.

"Yeah! I wish I had a dog," Kenai said mournfully. Sun snatched Kenai as soon as we emerged from the haze.

"Look at you! You're filthy!" Sun said to him.

"But he won!" I exclaimed.

"So what? Beating some dude from Konohagakure doesn't make him a ninja master!" sun growled. At that moment I felt something rush past me and turned to see Yumi grab Kiba in a hug.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, looking him over.

"Just a little bruised…I might need someone to help nurse me back to health," He whispered in her ear, but I heard it.

"Ew! Kiba, I can hear you!" I complained.

"What did he say?" Neji asked, inserting himself into the conversation.

"Nothing!" Said Yumi, Kiba, and myself simultaneously. The look on Neji's face made us all burst out laughing.

Our laughter was interrupted by the sound of heavy approaching footsteps. We all jumped slightly as the Mizukage, Shishi, and another large man walked out of the mist.

"Sungato Meno! We've been looking everywhere for you- …What's going on here?" The Mizukage asked, looking from Kenai to Kiba.

"Just a friendly debate," Sun said reassuringly.

"In the Hazy Pond? That's against the law of Kirigakure!" Said the Mizukage.

"She made the bet," Sun said, pointing to me.

"Sun told me this was the regular battling place!" I said, my eyes open wide in false surprise.

"She's excused because she's an outsider. You on the other hand-" The Mizukage began.

"She's not from Konohagakure! Her name isn't Hoshi- It's Naoshi Uchiha, from Kirigakure!" Sun shouted. He reached out and somehow grabbed my disguise jutsu. It fell away, revealing the real me.


	6. Where I truly belong

"_Naoshi!" Shishi cried, delighted to see me. He tried to rush forward, but the Mizukage held out an arm to stop him. _

"_Naoshi Uchiha…So that's where you've been hiding," Said the Mizukage. I hung my head and closed my eyes, prepared for the worst._

"_Sungato, grab the little traitor," Commanded the Mizukage. _

"_With pleasure," Said Sun. He began to approach me and Neji jumped in front of me so fast he was nothing but a blur, even with my Sharingan._

"_You touch her and you die!" Neji hissed furiously. Sun fell back, startled. The Mizukage was about to say something when he was interrupted by a loud explosion from the south end of the Hazy Pond. Someone yelled somewhere._

"_Sunagakure is attacking!" the Mizukage screamed._

_It seemed like everyone was suddenly mobilized. Every ninja in Kirigakure was making their way to the source of the explosion. _

"_Come on, let's help them!" Naruto said, rushing to join the crowd._

"_Why should we help them? They want to kill her," Yumi said, nodding to me._

"_We should help them, Yumi. They are not all bad…" I murmured quietly. She seemed surprised and she gave in. We all went to join the ninja of Kirigakure._

_Sunagakure literally means Village Hidden in the Sand. Most of their attacks were sand based. Most of the ninja of Kirigakure, including myself, had mostly water-based attacks. Do you know what you get when you add sand and water? Mud. Lots and lots of mud._

_I found myself in the middle of battle with a red-haired boy with black eye-liner. I had seen him using sand to encase or bury many ninja…but with me he just stood there staring. I was just about out of Chakra and my Sharingan was failing me. I was knocked to the ground from behind and I found myself at the red-haired boy's feet. I cringed, expecting him to do something, but he didn't._

"_Why aren't you attacking me? I have almost no Chakra left and I am exhausted. I am destined to die anyway…why aren't you attacking me?" I asked finally. _

"_Most of my attacks aren't mine. It is the sand, choosing to help me. But the sand refuses to hurt you," The boy said in a voice that was eerily monotonous and sent shivers down my spine. _

"_Why won't the sand hurt me?" I inquired._

"_I don't know. The sand will not hurt you," He repeated. His outward appearance seemed uncaring and I wondered what he really thought on the inside. _

"_You're not from Kirigakure," He said suddenly, his eyes wandering to my Konohagakure headband._

"_That's right. We were here helping Kirigakure solve a little problem with a rogue ninja…" I said quietly. I struggled to my feet._

"_Mashi…" Said the boy._

"_How did you know?" I asked, surprised. _

"_He lives in Sunagakure," He said simply. It was strange…The boy sounded monotonous and creepy…but also sad. My heart went out to him in his silent misery and I wanted to know more about him._

"_What's your name?" I asked him._

"_Gaara of the Sand," He replied without emotion._

"_My name is Hoshi…"_

_At that moment I was hit from the side again and this time I was only thrown part of the way down. A weird bed of sand caught me and kept me from hitting the ground completely. I got to my feet carefully, surprised at the turn in events. I turned to face my attacker, a man with long black hair and brown robes. The sand that had formed the thing that caught me now formed a large sand ball and launched itself at the man, throwing him backwards. The man struggled to his feet and glared at Gaara._

"_Why are you helping her?!" The man shouted angrily._

"_I am not. The sand is," Gaara said in the same monotonous voice. _

"_What the-?" The man was thrown backwards again and the sand covered him completely. _

_I spotted Neji a little ways away, fighting another of the sand ninja. He knocked him to the ground and smiled at me._

"_You alright, Hoshi?" He asked, panting slightly._

"_I'm fine. The sand is helping me," I said awkwardly. Somehow it didn't sound right coming from my mouth._

"_What does that mean?" Neji asked, startled._

"_I don't know, I- Neji!" _

_At that moment a shruiken came flying out of nowhere and imbedded itself in his back. He let out a sharp gasp of surprise and three more shruiken hit him. _

"_Hoshi," He said staggeringly, and fell forwards onto the ground. _

"_Neji-kun!" I screamed loudly. It seemed like the world had stopped spinning as I ran to his side. All the ninja that were nearby stopped battling and watched as I fell to my knees beside him. I rolled him over gently and saw his eyes were half-closed._

"_Neji," I gasped softly. _

"_I'm…fine…" He said shakily, but the grimace that followed his words told me he was not. _

"_You're not fine, Neji. I have to get you to a healer…" I whispered._

"_No. It seems…so much easier to stay here," He replied softly, closing his eyes. His breathing stopped and I shook him._

"_No, Neji!" I said, shaking him awake, "Neji?"_

_He opened one eye and looked at me wearily._

"_What?" He asked weakly._

"_You…You promised you wouldn't leave me. Remember?" I asked quietly. _

"_Of course I remember. Naoshi Uchiha…" He said softly and he closed his eyes again. This time his eyes were closed in rest._

_Using an impressive bit of Chakra I didn't know I had, I sort of bade the sand to help carry Neji back to the village. The ninja had all stopped fighting now, and they all watched as I took him to a healer. Gaara followed behind me at a distance. It was _his sand after all. 

It was nighttime when I emerged from the healer's house. Neji was resting, a peace treaty had been signed between Kirigakure and Sunagakure so all the sand-ninja were being healed as well, and everything seemed good. It was only then that I went to my grandmother's old house and climbed up onto the roof like I used to every night when I lived in Kirigakure. I had used the roof for star-gazing…and someone else was using it now for moon-gazing. 

"Gaara? What're you doing up here?" I asked, surprised that the roof-top was already occupied.

"I am looking at the moon," He said simply, in his depressed monotonous voice. I sat down beside him and he glanced at me briefly before looking back up at the sky. I looked up as well at the millions of stars that twinkled above us.

"Gaara? Why do you seem so sad?" I asked without looking at him. 

"I'm nothing but a military weapon for Sunagakure…I'm not allowed to have emotions. I only have sand," He said quietly.

"But that's ridiculous! You're human, aren't you? Of course you have emotions."

"Sometimes I wonder about that. I don't know what it's like to feel pain…to hurt…What is it like to hurt, Naoshi?" He asked me. Everyone had reverted to calling me Naoshi after Sungato's revelation. Gaara's question was sadistic and a little disturbing.

"Pain? Pain hurts, Gaara, it's…unpleasant. Wouldn't you rather feel joy and happiness?" I asked him.

"Joy and Happiness? And Love?"

"Yes. Joy, happiness, and love," I replied. Then he did something that startled me. Gaara leaned over- and kissed me!

It was enjoyable for a moment, but it wasn't right. It wasn't…Neji. I tried pushing Gaara off of me, but he was stronger than I, whether he realized it or not. So I did the only thing I could do- I bit him, just like Yumi did to Kankuro the first time he tried to kiss her. Gaara released me, startled, and fell back on the roof. Sand swirled around us threateningly but I got as far away from him as I possibly could so that he wouldn't be tempted to try the same thing twice. Gaara was just sitting there. I watched as he opened his mouth and let blood drip from his tongue into the palm of his hand. 

"Interesting," as all he said in his same monotonous voice, "I've never been bitten before."

"Hmph."

"I've never kissed anyone before, either."

I felt really bad for Gaara. He had been rejected by his village since he was little and he'd never known what it was like to love someone. …but I loved Neji. Gaara couldn't love me. 

"Gaara-…I'm sorry. I love Neji, and if you can't tell this then you're an idiot," I said blatantly. 

"Of course you…love…him. But have you told him that?" Gaara asked quietly. 

"Well…no."

"I apologize for my actions, Naoshi, …but I cannot be blamed for trying," Gaara said, and with that he stood up and climbed off of the roof. 

When he was gone I let out a sigh and left my rooftop. I went back to the healer's house and into Neji's room where he still appeared to be sleeping. I sat down in a chair by his bed and he opened one eye and looked at me.

"Hoshi?" He murmured.

"I'm here."

"I know. What's wrong?"

"Gaara kissed me," I said quickly. His face showed no emotion and he didn't seem surprised or angered by my confession.

"Did you kiss him back?" He asked calmly.

"At first. Then I realized he wasn't you and I bit him," I replied shamefacedly. 

"You bit him."

"Yep. Made him bleed, too. He won't be tempted to try that again…I think," I said quietly. 

"That's good."

"From now on the only person I'll be kissing is you," I promised. I moved over to the bed quietly and kissed him. He made a weird face as we broke apart.

"You taste like sand," He said.

"Neji!" I said with a frown.

"I'm only joking, Hoshi," He replied, smiling slightly. I kissed him again and lay down beside him on the bed.

"Kirigakure and Sunagakure signed a peace treaty," I said quietly.

"Good. Maybe now we can leave peacefully."

"Or not."

"Why not?"

"Because they know who I am," I replied softly. 

"Oh. Haven't you been to talk to the Mizukage yet? I'm sure if you explained about your leaking Chakra he might be more considerate."

"I can't do it now- it's almost three in the morning!"

"Oh. I'm so tired…Goodnight, Naoshi," He said as I lay down beside him.

"Goodnight, Neji-kun," I whispered, kissing him. 

The next morning I went to visit the Mizukage. Sungato had been injured in the battle against the sand ninja so his negativity wasn't there. Fortunately, the Mizukage looked rather happy to see me…and Shishi was there as well. 

"Naoshi Uchiha- you ended the battle with Sunagakure," the Mizukage said when I walked in.

"I did?" I asked, startled.

"Yes. When your silver-eyed friend got hit with the shruikens the ninja of Sunagakure ceased battle and followed you to the Healer's house. They saw that you could control sand as well as water and you became a pact between the village of Sunagakure and Kirigakure…a sort of peace keeper. A prodigy. So, instead of being executed for abandoning your village you will be honored as a peace maker and given a ninja headband…though I see you already where one from Konohagakure," He replied. Shishi walked forward and handed me a ninja headband with the Kirigakure ninja symbol on it.

"If you wish to return to Konohagakure, you may," He said to me, "But you will always be welcome here, Naoshi."

"Thank you, Shishi, and thank you Mizukage. I will return to Konohagakure when my friends are better, but I will wear this headband," I said quietly.

"I'll miss you, Naoshi," Shishi said, embracing me.

"And I shall miss you, Shishi-sensei." 

I returned to the Healer's house only to find that Neji was sleeping so I made my way to the practice field where an un-harmed Kenai was practicing by himself. He looked up when I approached and smiled sadly.

"Hey, Naoshi," He said to me.

"Hey Kenai. How's Sungato doing?" I asked him.

"Not good. The doctors aren't sure if…if he'll make it," Kenai replied, keeping his head down. 

"Oh…" Was all I could say, "..Hey! I know something that might cheer you up!"

"What?" He asked curiously.

"I'll teach you a move that I taught myself. It's an easy way to stay underwater for a very long time. What you do is, using your Chakra, you pull the oxygen out of the water and form a bubble around yourself or just around your head, depending on what amount of energy you want to use," I said to him.

"Okay, teach me!" He said enthusiastically.

I spent most of the afternoon teaching Kenai until Yumi brought me something to eat as the sun was going down.

"Why aren't you with Kiba?" I asked her as she handed me a bowl of rice. 

"He was tired," She said with a shrug, "Why aren't you with Neji?"

"Same reason. He was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him up," I replied.

"Oh. So what did the Mizukage say?"

After I explained to Yumi what had transpired I finished my food and returned to Neji's room. He was sleeping still when I got there so I sat down in the chair by his bed. I sort of wanted to wake him up, but he needed to sleep. Another part of me wanted to crawl in beside him, but he might wake up if I did that. Still it would've been nice…

Neji opened his eyes, startling me out of my thoughts and causing me to jump slightly. He smiled at me.

"What're you doing, Naoshi?" He asked quietly.

"I was just thinking…I didn't mean to wake you up," I replied, blushing slightly.

"You didn't wake me. I wanted to wake up anyway. …I really want to get out of this stupid bed," He added as an afterthought. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and made an attempt to get out of bed. I held out a hand to steady him as he got to his feet shakily. 

"Let's go for a walk," He whispered in my ear. 

Leaning against me to help keep him from falling, Neji and I made our way out to one of the lakes. It was unnaturally clear and mist-free for some reason and I could see the full moon shining above our heads.

"It sure is beautiful tonight," Neji remarked, sitting down on the ground. I sat down beside him and held his hand.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"Where's all the mist at, I wonder?" He asked.

"The air is getting warmer so there isn't as much mist as there normally would be," I replied automatically. 

"What does the air temperature have to do with the mist?" 

"Water is almost always cooler than the surrounding air. When the air is warmer so is the water and there isn't as much mist because the temperatures aren't that different."

"What if the water is warmer than the surrounding air? Is there mist then?" He asked curiously.

"That would be steam. Not mist," I corrected, "…and that'd probably only ever happen at a hot springs."

"Steam, mist, fog, haze, cloud…you're giving me a headache, Naoshi," Neji said with a faint smile. 

"Sorry. It's just one of those things I'm good at," I replied sheepishly. Neji winced slightly as he stood up.

"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I just need to walk around a little bit. I can't sit still for very long," He replied as I got to my feet, "Care to join me?"

"Join you? I have to lead you. It's still misty around the paths and I'm not letting you get lost without me," I said with a smile. I kissed him gently before we continued to walk around Kirigakure. 

Later, instead of going back to the Healer's house we went back to the house that had been provided for us. We made our way quietly past Naruto, who was sleeping on the couch, and to my room. Kiba and Yumi's room was empty because Kiba was still at the Healer's and I suppose Yumi was with him. Neji lay down on the bed and I lay down beside him. He wrapped me in his arms and held me close to his chest, kissing my forehead gently. It was then that I remembered what Gaara said _Of course you…love…him. But have you told him that? _

"Neji?" I asked quietly, "I need to ask you something."

He opened one eye and looked at me.

"What is it, Naoshi?" He asked.

"Do you…Do you love me?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course I do. You should've been able to figure that out by yourself," He replied with a smile, kissing me on my forehead.

"Oh. Good. I…I love you, too," I whispered. 

"I know that," He said with a low chuckle, pulling me close to him. I felt relieved to know for a fact that he loved me and I closed my eyes, feeling warm and safe in his arms.

The next morning I was awakened my Yumi knocking on the door. She stuck her head inside the room.

"Naoshi, did you steal my brother from the Healer's house?" She demanded.

"I didn't steal anyone. He left on his own," I replied, pulling the blanket over my head.

"Well, then, why didn't you stop him?" She asked. I peeked my head out from under the blanket and looked at her.

"I have no illusions as to my control over your brother," I answered calmly, "I couldn't have stopped him if I tried."

"You frighteningly underestimate your power over me," Neji whispered in my ear so only I could hear, making me feel warm inside. 

"I guess I'll have to tell the Healer he's with you so I can get back to Kiba," Yumi said, heading back out the door. As soon as she was gone Neji wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply. 

"Let's go outside," He said, getting up. 

I followed Neji down to the training field where Kenai was sitting at the edge of the water, looking very sad.

"Kenai, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting down beside him. 

"My father…He died last night," Kenai murmured, turning his face away from me.

"Oh…" I said, embracing him. Kenai sniffed and wiped at the tears that had started to form in the corners of his eyes.

"He wasn't always very nice, but…he was still my dad and…I still loved him," He said quietly.

"Of course you did," I said softly, "Children always love their parents."

I thought of my own parents who had abandoned me and my heart constricted painfully. All the guardians who were supposed to love and protect me had abandoned me in some way or another. 

"At least I still have…a mother," Kenai said quietly. 

"You should probably be with her, Kenai. She needs you now more than ever, I am certain of it," I replied. He nodded his head and stood up.

"Thank you, Naoshi," He said, smiling slightly before walking off. 

Neji came to sit beside me at the edge of the lake. He kicked off his shoes and let his feet trail in the water. 

"That was nice of you," He said, kissing my cheek. 

"Yeah. You were right, you know?" I asked him.

"Of course I was…but what are you referring to?" 

"You said that no matter what I was still Naoshi Uchiha. You were right. I can have as many aliases as there are stars in the sky, but I'll always be the same person," I said with a sigh.

"Is that such a bad thing? To be Naoshi Uchiha?" Neji asked softly.

"I suppose not, but…Sometimes I wish I could forget a lot of things. Like how my parents abandoned me. I wish I knew why…" 

"That is something you may never know, but there is no excuse for them leaving you like that. At least not one that I can think of. They are at fault. If they would have stuck around a little longer they would've realized they had a wonderful, brilliant daughter."

I blushed slightly and Neji smiled at me. 

"So, how are you feeling today, Neji?" I asked him, changing the subject.

"Better than yesterday, though my muscles are still quite stiff," He replied. 

"Hey that gives me an idea," I said brightly, jumping to my feet.

"What?" Neji asked, getting up slowly.

"Follow me and you'll see," I said with a secretive smile.

I led Neji down one of the hidden paths in the mist that not even most of the Kirigakure ninja knew about. I had found it on my own and had told very few people. My Great Aunt Hiromi had been one of the people I told, and Shishi had been the other. 

"Naoshi, how much further? I can't see anything and this mist is moving," Neji said from behind.

"That's because it's not mist," I replied gleefully.

"Oh, no, not _this _again," He said, but I heard a smile in his voice, "If it's not mist then what is it?"

"Steam," I answered, grinning.

"but you said that only occurs around hot springs."

"uh-huh."

I was surprised to find that he actually paid attention to me when I carried on about the discrepancies between mist, fog, haze, etc. 

We came to a stop beside a natural hot springs that I had found late one evening when I was still training in Kirigakure.

"I found this place all on my own," I said proudly to Neji, "I was trying to make a mental map of the hidden paths in the mist when I stumbled across this place. Shishi told me that there are plants that grow around here that makes the water have healing properties."

"Amazing," Neji said with a contented sigh as he stripped off his clothes and slid into the water. I smiled and got into the water as well. 

"With this water you'll be better in no time," I assured him, "It's restorative not only of your body, but of your mind and spirit as well." 

"Good. The sooner I get healed the sooner we can go home…back to Konohagakure."

"The sooner we can get back to training," I added with a sigh. 

"Don't worry, it won't be so bad now that there aren't Hunter-nin after you," He said with a smile.

"Yeah. You're right. …but I am not looking forward to explaining this to the Hokage."

We left Kirigakure a few days later when Kiba was all better. I said farewell to Shishi who now had a delighted Kenai as a student, and we boarded the ship home.

As soon as we reached Konohagakure the Hokage requested to see me in her office. Sakura delivered the message as I was walking in the front door of the house I lived in. As soon as I dropped my stuff off I walked towards the Hokage's office. Neji met me on the way there.

"Where are you going, Naoshi?" He asked me.

"Lady Tsunade wants to see me," I said anxiously.

"Oh. Well I'll come with you," He assured me. I smiled at him as he took my hand and we continued to walk towards the Hokage's office. 

I caught sight of my reflection in a solitary rain puddle and saw that my brilliant purple eyes were no longer hidden with jutsu. My hair still wasn't as long as it had been, but there was no mistaking it- I was definitely Naoshi Uchiha. 

We walked into the Hokage's office and she looked up at smiled at both of us. She brushed her hair out of her face and stared intently at me.

"Well… Naoshi Uchiha was hiding amongst my ninja," Lady Tsunade said to me. I bowed my head in shame.

"Forgive me, Lady Tsunade," I said quietly.

"She had to hide somewhere. Please. You can blame her, Hokage," Neji said quickly.

"No. Perhaps I should blame the four ninja who knowingly allowed her into our village? One of which was a Jounin," She retorted.

"You can't blame them either!" I protested, "They were just helping a fellow ninja in need!"

Lady Tsunade looked at me skeptically and smiled as if faintly amused. 

"I guess I can't blame anyone, can I?" She said with a smirk. Neji squeezed my hand tightly and smiled at me.

"Of course I knew who you were the moment you walked into my office the first time. I allowed you to stay because, by birth, you belong in Konohagakure. You had the permission of the Fourth Hokage to go and train in Kirigakure when you were younger. A lot of that was forgotten after what happened to the Uchiha clan. Either way you belong in Konohagakure and I for one am glad to have you here," Said Lady Tsunade with a smile. 

"Thank you, Hokage," I said, smiling at her.

"You are most welcome, Naoshi Uchiha. You may leave now," She said. Neji and I turned to go, but she held up her hand.

"Neji, will you please wait a moment?" The Hokage asked. He hesitated and I smiled.

"I'll wait for you outside," I said quietly. He let go of my hand which he had still been holding the entire time, and I left the room. 

On my way out the door I bumped into Kakashi Hatake, who was once again reading and walking at the same time.

"Oh! Sorry, Naoshi," Kakashi said, getting to his feet. I was speechless for a moment and he held out a hand to help me to my feet. I took his hand gingerly and he pulled me up. I brushed the dirt off the front of my clothes as an excuse to look away from him. 

"No lasting damage, I hope?" He asked.

"No. I'm fine. Uh…you knew that I was Naoshi Uchiha?" I asked blankly.

"Of course. Who else could you be with Sharingan? Not to mention I could see through your Genjutsu…though it wasn't yours, was it?" He asked coolly.

"Uh, no. My disguise was courtesy of Neji," I replied, blushing.

"I thought so. It was very good Genjutsu," Kakashi remarked before turning and walking away. 

I stood outside the Hokage's office with my back to the door, waiting for Neji. From where I stood I could see the training fields where a bunch of Academy-level ninja were having mock battles. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone wrapped there arms around me from behind. The immediate warmth of his body heat told me it was Neji.

"Neji! You scared me," I stammered, turning to face him.

"Sorry," He said smoothly, kissing my cheek.

"What did the hokage want? You're not in trouble, are you?" I asked anxiously.

"No, not at all. She wanted to congratulate me on a job well done in Kirigakure. She also said that I was still in charge of you and in making sure you feel at home in Konohagakure," He replied, smiling.

"Oh. Neji, I already feel at home in Konohagakure. It's the only place I've ever really felt at home," I said quietly.

"I know. I'm glad you're here, Naoshi, and I'm glad you feel at home here. Wanna go for a swim?" He asked, changing the subject and grinning wickedly.

"Sure," I said, blushing. He laughed and kissed me again before taking my hand and leading me off towards the woods. As I turned to go I noticed the Hokage looking down on us from her office window and smiling. I smiled to myself, knowing that for once, everything felt right and I finally felt wanted. There was no argument - I belonged in Konohagakure.

**THE END**


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